Valse Sentimentale
by TubbaMirum
Summary: Cherry blossoms and wrought-iron gates welcome Sora Akiyama to high school, Yamaku Academy. A recent accident largely paralyzed her dominant right side, and brought a young art career to a halt. At the gates, she is introduced to Kyouko Tadamichi, her hallmate and a girl who similarly was robbed of her eyesight, clutching a cane and a violin case. New dreams await them inside.
1. Chapter 1: Eurydice

This story is concurrent with the KS timeline, starting a short time before Hisao's arrival at Yamaku, but his interaction will be fairly limited at best. This is a story about two girls, their interactions, and their demons.

And please, don't hesitate to leave a review. I really would be thrilled to hear from somebody for a change.

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Chapter 1: Eurydice

It's an odd relief, to put things bluntly as could be. Gates aren't terribly welcoming, and neither is this one, with its far too ceremonial appearance. Wrought iron is a cold and terrifying thing to create anything out of, or at least that's what I'm feeling right now, but there's some kind of strange warmth I can derive out of it as cherry blossoms blew gently about in the light afternoon breeze.

A thought such as "This is home now," perhaps?

It doesn't seem like a gate for any kind of school, but to say that Yamaku Academy is a school unlike any other in Japan is such an understatement that I can't even begin to start picking out what's truly wrong with saying such a thing. Lots of things to fix, I suppose. There has to be a more artistic way to say, or rather, to think that, but I'm just not bothered enough to produce a better method, certainly not in this short walk between gawking and walking onward with an already exhausted father in tow.

"Which would be the girls' dorm?" Dad offers breathlessly, his statement expectedly dull-minded, though I've had far less concern lately over such a teenaged issue, even if I am just newly 15 years old now anyway. It's strange how partial paralysis and extensive nerve damage changes how annoyed you become with your family's habits and awkwardness. I almost forget the courtesy of the answer anyway thanks to these ultimately pointless thoughts.

"Wherever the other mass of girls my age wearing this same pompous uniform as me are, I'd imagine." This stated with a sigh.

I expect a slight reprimand, but thankfully Dad at least sees how obvious the observation is and keeps his mouth shut. Perhaps his lack of confidence even around his own daughter could be considered quite a serious character flaw, but I always have and still do consider it to just be the sign of a typical, awkward father. We continue on our way, I with a normal schoolbag slung over the left shoulder and he with indefinitely more to drag along and carry. It's almost a comedic sight on the first day. Somebody should have definitely put "Sora Akiyama's father struggles epically to carry his daughter's entire wardrobe and batch of school supplies to her dorm" on the itinerary for the day's activities.

I suppose for now we'll just have to settle for the smaller crowd that already exists just inside the gates. Girls and boys, all in their baggy uniforms still stiff from how fresh they are, are gathered around far more extensive families than my own. The faint smell of cigarette smoke has wandered into the area but I cannot pinpoint any sort of location for it at the moment. Instead, I look at the faces, all of my new classmates, as I walk down the path with very deliberate caution so as not to leave Dad in the dust behind me. It's here that the reality of everybody's situation is most apparent.

One boy is missing an ear, and the shape of his torso on that same side, even underneath his too-large shirt, is grotesquely obvious. There are too many white canes to possibly begin counting, and each has a person tied to it. Some have dogs, though none will be able to stay at Yamaku. A girl is favoring a leg and a closer look reveals the favored leg is out of place, plastic and lifeless. The sight of it sends a light spike of pain through my own, but I simply cringe and continue onward. Misfires are nothing new by now.

It's equal parts a depressing and uplifting scene, I realize. The people born with their conditions are finally arriving at the fabled Yamaku Academy, where they can live their golden years without fearing that their existence will get in the way. Those like me, who've acquired their disabilities from accident, or did not discover the problem until very recently, lend the depressing side as they still struggle to come to terms. Yet even we're bright-eyed and ready to get this started, not over with. There's ambition leaking out of everybody I see.

Somehow those ugly gates have done nothing to diminish this magical sensation.

Before I can wax too lyrically, a voice carries over towards my ears, piercing and perhaps a bit shrill. I decide it's mostly masculine after some struggle grasping its ring and range, so it's indefinitely not my father's thin baritone. I have no idea what's been said, but it comes from behind and it prompts both of us to stop. Moments later, the culprit walks up in no great rush to Dad and puts a hand on his back.

"You're going to hurt yourself there, friend. Need some help?" The man offers with a smile.

This newcomer is a curious sight, middle-aged and with a healthy gut, salt-and-pepper hair, dressed in a dull grey, expensive peacoat, wearing a black dress shirt and slacks with a flamboyant pink tie, a metal tie bar, an ornate triangle pin, and… Wait a moment, are those black and white sneakers? He's making little effort to conceal his white t-shirt underneath from how loose the tie is, too.

My father is too glad to accept some help, having no such thing as manly pride or something foolish like that to keep him from it. He starts to unload a few bags of stuff off of his back, clearly what this strangely flamboyant, half-Japanese man was worried over when he approached. I don't have any time to protest or the like, but it's hardly bad that Dad is getting a break.

I don't bother to tune into their small talk as the other man starts gathering up all of the things my father dumped on him, instead looking about at the other students again. My peers for the next three years, are they? I suppose there's plenty of time to get to know them, so I don't see much reason to start just yet. I don't even know how to begin, honestly. The various things bringing us all here aren't exactly things to make first conversations out of, are they?

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Sora." I'm broken out of my strange trance by the mystery man with a smile on his face and some of my bags slung over his shoulder. His posture is far better than Dad's. "I'm Dr. Eric Tadamichi. Ah, well not a medical doctor though, you won't be seeing me anytime giving checkups."

He chuckles at that comment, but I can only offer an unseen cringe at it as my voice catches slightly in my throat. What use is introducing myself if Dad already did so for me?

It's fine though, I suppose, as the self-proclaimed Doctor-Not-A-Doctor continues without waiting for me to speak. "Say, I don't want to keep you away from moving in or anything, but it's kind of a nice day and my niece just finished moving in. She's not too far behind us with her family if you wouldn't mind Miss Akiyama?"

"Decide what you're calling me, please." I think to myself, but only sigh outwardly, looking to Dad first. The hopeful look in his eyes tells me everything I needed to know, so I let myself perk up a bit.

"Sure, I don't mind." I nod, glad now I'm wearing a scarf even if my arms are still woefully under-insulated.

"Right, thanks!" He grins, closing his eyes and standing for a second with a rhythmic bobbing to his body.

It's only as we turn around that I realize he has a distinctive waddle in his step, like an awkward, self-confident duck. I imagine his figure and disposition have much more to do with it than any conscious decision to look outright silly. In any case, I start scanning the crowds for who this niece of his could possibly be. I try not to set any expectations based on his odd appearance, especially since he spoke of his niece and not his daughter, but I nevertheless let it sneak into my thoughts, even before I use his trajectory to help out.

Unfortunately, I find no fashion disasters with greying hair anywhere else around and finally settle on the small group the doctor is making a beeline for. He arrives first, Dad and I not too far behind.

The family there isn't extensive, just a mom and a very young sister at the moment, though a tall, thin foreign man leaves another group as soon as he notices the doctor returning. There's no resemblance I can see at all to the girl in question, however, her back to me but the Yamaku uniform all too evident, her hair long, flowing, and dark.

"Kyouko!" Her uncle yells out, not too jarringly as the girl doesn't jump at all, though her conversation with her mother is cut short rather obviously as a result

"Found you someone." He continues, a snide smirk on his face before taking up a position next to this Kyouko's little sister and patting her head to much fanfare and delight.

My colleague is whom I have my eyes on, however. She lets a light sigh at his behavior I imagine, before turning slowly. It's only now that I realize what she'd been gripping in her right hand, one of those far too numerous white canes. That answers a question before it needs to be asked, but more pop up rather instantly as more of her face comes into view.

If it had been intentional that the Sun illuminated her hair and face as it had, I would believe it. Nevertheless, a glowing aura envelopes the short brunette in front of me before her features come into clearer focus. Dull, amber eyes. The same flowing hair from the back, but with an unnaturally scraggly grey streak running diagonally from her right bang towards her crown. And most notably, deep, skin-tone colored pockmarks, slashes, and scars all over her face, never running over her eyes but deforming her nose, lip, and an ear, and continuing down her right side very clearly, her hand apparently unscathed. Her voice is of normal pitch, but it's clearly scratchy and older than her young, if scarred appearance, suggests. Her words are impossibly clear and easy to understand, despite the scratch.

"Just went and grabbed some poor soul off the cobbles, is it? Well, I suppose that's Uncle Eric for you." She chuckles, covering her mouth instinctively.

I can only think to nod dully in response, even if the gesture is likely lost on her. Kyouko doesn't wait anyway, just as her uncle didn't, bowing immediately towards my direction, though not quite to me, her motion clearly practiced and refined.

"It's nice to meet you. The name's Kyouko Tadamichi. What about you, unfortunate soul?"

My voice catches in my throat again, but for far shorter a time as she returns to a standing position.

"Akiyama… Sora Akiyama."

So it is here that the two of us meet for the very first time.


	2. Chapter 2: Orpheo

Chapter 2: Orpheo

"Sora Akiyama?"

The girl seems to linger on my name, perhaps a bit longer than I'm comfortable with. The judgment is obvious, but the smile she derives moments later is innocent enough that I stop worrying over it.

"It's a lovely name. Strong and impressive. Would you say you're either?" Kyouko continues, and now I really am lost for words.

"No, not in particular." I blurt without thinking, my heart pounding as I try to gather up the wayward thoughts.

This simply elicits a nod, and the girl goes immediately back to her admittedly bright smile, surprising given she could just as easily appear terrifying. She doesn't have as much way of checking as I do, so perhaps it's unfair to read too deeply into her facial expressions.

I want to retort with something, but the most I can come up with is some remark on the femininity of her name. This doesn't happen before she begins again.

"Well, that's fine. It's a bit unfair that we're given such weighty names at birth anyway. Like expectations we'll never live up to eh?" She chuckles, which doesn't seem to thaw the look on her mother's face. Really, a comment like that is really a slight against her, isn't it? Maybe it's more likely that her face hardened, then.

Without thinking, I continue onward. "Yeah, well… We also don't expect the curveballs life likes to throw at us." I nod along, but cringe as baseball analogies are the last thing I need right now. Pitching was gone from the list of career opportunities now, to put it frankly.

"But they do get us to some interesting places." She smiles along, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath of the fresh spring air.

I can't really disagree with her at all. Further, her clear relaxation at the moment is helping to settle me down quite a bit, amazingly enough. I didn't realize before how tense I've become. Every second since I've passed through that wrought-iron gate my shoulders have rolled up more and more. Really though, could I be blamed for being apprehensive even still?

"Yeah. So um…" I trail off, starting only to stop again mid-sentence. I have no idea where to build off of this. Was conversation always this difficult for me as it is now? What's missing here?

"I suppose I should introduce the rest of the family," Kyouko says, picking up the slack. "You've already met Uncle Eric. This is Mom, or Mrs. Tadamichi to you, eh? And the hopelessly adorable little one in the group is Kaede. Uncle Kenji ran off somewhere though last I checked."

"Present." The tall man that joined us when the doctor came by piped in. His voice confirms a sinking suspicion I'd been having since being approached by the Doctor.

Of course, the statement in regards to Kaede is thoroughly accurate, as the elementary-aged girl simply offers me a confident thumbs up. Her hair is just as long as her older sister's, except it's even wavier to the point of being almost unkempt. She also wears thick-rimmed glasses, and has a smile that could outshine the Sun given the chance. It's almost a disappointment that she remains quiet, but the silence is endearing enough to make up for it.

"It's nice to meet you all." I speak after some long delay, catching myself in a loop of thoughts yet again. "This is my Dad." I turn to face him quite awkwardly, not sure what else to say. Thankfully he bails me out by going ahead to introduce himself.

I don't really bother to pay attention to what all the adults of the group have to say, trying to gather myself instead for the inevitable continuation of my exchange with Kyouko. I take this chance to look over her a bit again, but I can barely get any further before I notice she's shuffling my direction rather expertly given her obvious blindness. I entertain the thought that she might be able to see at least a bit, though I don't say anything about it. It's not something to talk about yet.

"Hey, I found you, right?" Kyouko smirks as she's only barely within earshot, perhaps eager to find out if she's right. Suddenly, her demeanor has become decidedly less formal, and far more devious and playful.

"S-sure?" I answer meekly.

That's enough to cause her to light up considerably.

"Good. I don't really want to stay out here while they're having their adult exchanges. So we'll be slipping away to my room." She smiles, crossing her arms as if she expects me to be impressed. I'm not sure how she expects to be able to tell. "Least as long as you don't mind."

"Sure…" I repeat. Do I really have a choice in this matter? The sudden charisma she's displaying is captivating, to say the least.

Kyouko doesn't respond to this, instead making a loop out of her right arm against her body that she expects me to put an arm through. It's now that I notice she's carrying something in her left hand as well, a handle attached to an oblong piece of yellow plastic, with two noticeable bulges towards one end, a case of some kind. Perhaps a violin is its contents?

"You're going to have to do the guiding, but the room is 112." She offers as soon as we were linked.

"Alright." I nod, before blinking suddenly. 112? That's certainly very close to 113, isn't it? So we're hallmates? Well, that makes finding my own room easier, at least. Perhaps this little experience won't be so bad after all.

Before we've even gotten a step forward, an icy cold but concerned voice calls out to us.

"Kyouko, where are you running off to?" Her mother, who Kyouko might be the spitting image of if not for her extensive scarring and very apparent blindness, is the one to speak.

"My room. It's a bit cold for me." Kyouko returns in kind with a smile.

This seems to give the woman pause, but she relents easily enough.

"Alright. Just be careful getting there." She smiles, their conversation having long since halted anyway. It seems unlikely we'll be alone for long if at all in Kyouko's room with that considered.

"You know me! Definition of careful!" Kyouko giggles, and even winks to my surprise, though the gesture is lost on everybody else given our distance.

We don't have any more of their conversation to worry about as I hear my Dad start to inquire about room numbers, where the obvious will eventually come to light. I don't really think to bring it up to Kyouko either that we're hallmates, but something tells me she has no issues hearing the same things I'm currently hearing.

It's a bit of a strange relief that the inside of the dorms are not near as pretty to look at as the exterior with its red bricks and surprising abundance of ivy. Instead, we're greeted by clean, well-kept and strikingly modern walls. The wall color is something of a matte beige, and there are enough empty bulletins hammered to both sides to feed an army of termites with plywood and particle board. Still, everything is so new that I'm not concerned about the possibility of wood-eating pests.

Well, I'm not _too_ concerned at the very least. I'm certain I've heard rumors.

My thoughts about the room situation are confirmed more or less immediately as it turns out each of the two doors we've passed so far are simply gateways into a general hall area, complete with a mini-kitchen, a sizable bathroom, and at least four rooms each. The doorways are bigger than I think I've seen in a while. Certainly wider even than those in the hospital where I recovered from my accident, no doubt to fully accommodate students with any of a range of limitations to mobility.

I've zoned out to the point that we manage to pass the corridor that houses our rooms, the dorms almost unnaturally quiet at this hour, especially in light of the relatively raucous crowds outside. I realize the interior is a bit stuffy, but it doesn't seem like something that would drive people out in such vast quantities.

"Sorry, we just passed it, I missed it." I manage to blurt out before coming to a halting stop.

Kyouko says nothing, simply giggling as we turn about arm in arm. She seems all too comfortable linked up with me like this, though I suppose anybody blind would be quite used to such a basic assistance scenario. For me, it's perhaps a bit too close, her small frame bouncing gently with each step.

We pass through the doorway two abreast without even a hint of an issue, and I take the chance to look over the unique layout in better detail. Certainly enough, our rooms are adjacent, with two others rooms facing them and the bathroom, with its multiple shower stalls and single bath, separating the space quite nicely.

The kitchen is situated along the wall facing the larger hallway, including a stovetop, rice cooker, and microwave, as well as a warning about specific allergies relating to the other girls who lived here. I could only tell this was a tailor-made warning because it included corn. I don't think I've ever met anybody else allergic to corn. Another closer look revealed that the same information was also printed in Braille.

It's not long before I notice I've had yet another awkward pause, but I manage to laugh it off.

"Well, this is it then. 112 and 113." I nod, biting my lip for a moment before looking to Kyouko.

My shorter peer doesn't stir for a moment, as if she's weighing my statement. I doubt she expected me to list two rooms, but I'm not sure that's something that would give a person pause.

"Right, sorry. Just let me get my keys." She smiles, unlinking from me and walking forward towards her door.

A quick tactile confirmation and a fishing of a rather extensive keyring from her skirt pocket later, and the inside of Kyouko Tadamichi's room waits for us beyond the door. She steps through first, carefully but confidently and turns towards me with an inviting smile. I take a few steps forward, biting my lip nervously as the first details come into view. The lack of decoration. The neatly arranged piles of clothing and other paraphernalia. The undoubted smell of antiseptic.

I remove my shoes instinctively upon entering. The sensation of carpet on my sock-covered feet is very welcome over the light discomfort of my loafers on pavement, and does plenty to make me feel at home. As I look up, Kyouko is once again close, her gaze hauntingly close to matching mine.

"Right then. This is a bit better, don't you think?"

I only swallow and nod, forgetting again the futility of it. Something is a bit off, but I can't think of just what that is, or even what it could be.

"Right. Um, sorry." I finally pipe up as her expectant look never goes away, apologizing for my silence.

"Go ahead and find a seat, they'll probably be not far behind us." Kyouko continues, already finding her bed. The height is adjusted to be quite short, no doubt to make climbing in easier.

I simply nod again, forgetting my courtesy all too easily as I look around the room. It's not completely without adornment, a wall clock that looks as if it might chime quietly every hour, an alarm clock on the desk next to her bed, and even a poster of some sort, though there was no image to speak of. I look towards the room's tenant again and notice the yellow case is missing from her hand. Despite the bright appearance, I struggle to locate it immediately.

It's only now that I'm beginning to wonder why everything about this scenario seems so pedantic. Kyouko is acting a bit more mysteriously here than would be fitting for a simple case of a school girl inviting a new friend to her room. I only entertain the thought she may be batting a different angle than expected for a moment before she speaks up again. Her posture is incredibly relaxed, leaning back on both arms with her legs spread with little regard for modesty, though the skirt is long enough that I'm not able to see anything thus far.

"Alright, so before the curiosity kills me. What's your reason for being at Yamaku, Sora Akiyama?" She smirks, and I can only feel a growling pit in my stomach coalesce in response.

I angle my head to the plain ceiling, kicking my legs as quietly as I can before clearing my throat.

"Well… It's a story, I can tell you that much."


	3. Chapter 3: Spring Rounds

Chapter 3: Spring Rounds

This kind of situation is inevitable, isn't it? People would want to or need to know what was wrong with me, right? Yet, the longer I linger on my preceding words, the worse the pit in my stomach grows. Kyouko simply sits with an expectant, if impatient look to her. The only thing missing from the haughty posture she's taken up is a harem of servants offering her fruit and wine.

"Well do tell." She speaks calmly to break this long and awkward pause.

I nod, again failing to realize until I've already done it that the gesture is utterly useless for the girl I'm talking to. This might be harder to get used to than I thought, and I wasn't exactly expecting it to be a breeze.

"Right. Well, I had a bit of an accident, you see… Erm, maybe that's not the word…" I start cautiously, more for my own sake, and yet still end up stepping into an awkward area instantaneously. There's no reason to get too detailed, but I have no idea how I could possible manage to avoid that.

Kyouko, at least for her part, looks somewhat concerned, but it's hard to find that quality in her expression when her eyes are twinkling so excitedly at the mention of an accident. Was there something Romantic or exciting about suffering through a literally crippling event? It's plenty enough to confuse me.

"I don't want to talk too much about what led up to it but… I had a 20 foot drop when a fence failed above a construction area…" The words sting to speak and I start biting at my tongue, more to chastise myself for failing to keep the composure I was sure I'd managed to achieve.

"Is that so?" Kyouko nods, her previously shimmering eyes dulling a bit and growing wider. I'll imagine it's a look of horror just so that I felt better sympathized with.

"They were filling a pit just above with concrete. I fell into the mess of rebar while concrete was still filling it up… I'm lucky somebody was attentive enough to hit the kill switch before my body was completely covered." My body, I say. Not me, but my body. The chill in my spine is growing worse.

As I continue, I notice that Kyouko's previous morbid curiosity has become reeling shock. It's most likely that the details are just that grotesque, but the sense I'm gathering from her doesn't quite suggest that. Rather, maybe it's some kind of a familiarity?

"And?" She finally piped back in after we'd both been silent for some time. That question does nothing to ease the nasty rolling in my stomach.

"Well… The fall broke a lot of bones, but those weren't the problem. I don't remember how they explained it, but a very small amount of spinal cord damage was done, and… Well." I try to lift my right arm, to absolutely no avail. My leg on the same side rises slightly, but clearly not as responsively as a teenager's leg should.

"My entire right side was completely paralyzed for several months. By some miracle, physical therapy gave function back to my leg, but my arm is useless. Probably forever." I almost forget to continue with words rather than body language.

That last truth was what crushed me the most, what still crushes me today. My right arm. The arm I used to write with. The arm I used to throw with. The arm I used to paint with. It's a bad enough thought that the corners of my eyes well up with salty water, but I'm not about to cry now.

Kyouko simply closes her eyes and lets a deep sigh, collapsing back against her wall. I wasn't entirely expecting any of her reactions before, but this one at least seemed like the most reasonable somebody could have, given the information. It's good that I ended my previous sentence decisively enough that it didn't demand continuation. Just thinking of what details I've omitted makes bile rise up into my throat.

"That's really heavy." Kyouko finally speaks up, her tranquil eyes opening and facing towards the ceiling.

The surprises only continued from there as she manages a smile, sitting up and migrating to the edge of her bed. Her skirt unceremoniously rides up through the motion, and she almost doesn't take any notice of it. Honestly, it's probably fitting. Why should she care about her decency if she can't see it for herself?

"I guess we have a surprising amount in common, Sora. We both have concrete to blame for our woes." She speaks clearly, that scratched voice of hers still impossibly, inexplicably understandable.

I nervously press to the edge of my seat as Kyouko wraps fingers around her knee, hugging it a bit closer to her form but not hiding her face. That much made far more plainly visible than even before, but I fight the urge to satiate morbid curiosity in favor of hearing what she has to say first. I notice again that her hands do not share the scarring that marks her face and neck, and certainly elsewhere across her body.

"Is that so?" I break the growing the silence, still held to the edge of my seat in anticipation of more information. I don't even know why this is the case; her scarring is clearly far worse than the random darker splotches on my legs caused by cement burns

Kyouko nods along, visual cues certainly something she hadn't completely forsaken from her arsenal of non-verbal communication. She takes the moment to adjust her skirt to a more modest position before continuing.

"It is. The difference though is almost conveniently funny." She lets a wry smile, morbid anxiety clear in the expression as she has to force some humor into her tone. "You fell onto concrete and rebar. I had concrete and rebar fall onto me."

There was little I could do to stop my jaw from dropping as Kyouko went into her own past so plainly and easily. Just how much longer ago had she suffered her accident than I had? It seems almost unbelievable that anybody could display this kind of frankness about such a poor experience with any less than fifteen years to come to terms with it.

"That sounds a lot worse." I blurt. It's all I could think to say, really.

"In some ways. I didn't break any bones outright though. Everything was skin deep," As if on cue, she pats her chest, a piece of her I noticed for the first time might actually have the edge over my own equivalent. I can't fathom why, but I'm not going to blame her for drawing my attention to them. " _Very_ skin deep."

The sound of me swallowing must have filled the room because Kyouko doesn't wait for a response, hopping off her bed and deftly snatching her cane from where she'd left it. Despite her joke, it's clear her face is curled up with some amount of pain. Perhaps a frank attitude is just a way to cope?

"We'll have more time to get into those details, if you're even comfortable with it. It's a long school year." She continues, walking about her room, pacing incessantly several times. Is she attempting to learn the layout?

"And there are two more to do right after it." I continue for her, able to offer a nervous smile of my own as I relax in the chair, thoughts wandering to the Opening Ceremony later in the day. It's unusual to have it held on the weekend rather than the actual first day of classes, at least to me, but it does make sense. Most, if not all the students were moving in today, so why not get something ceremonial done?

My quick response is adequate impetus to restore the smile to Kyouko's lips, and I can't help but return it. Like her little sister, Kyouko has a smile that could outshine the Sun if given the chance, but hers is tempered by maturity. It's a rather captivating sight, putting it mildly.

"Indeed there are. It all begins today. I didn't take you for the type to see life for its journey before that little statement, Sora." She curiously tilts her head at that statement.

Before I can blurt out a response, my coalescing thoughts stop me. Life for its journey, huh? I don't even know why that's never crossed my mind before, but it's certainly passed my ears many times before. The little analogy or proverb or whatever it was comparing the journey to the destination.

"I don't really think of it much," I admit, but cut off the silence quickly. "But it seems like the way to live, doesn't it? Destinations only exist to give you a journey to go on… Erm, well something like that, right?"

I giggle nervously, trying to bashfully play it off, but I'm surprised that Kyouko takes my words in with vigor rather than brushing them off as the pathetic attempt to sound edgy that they were.

"That's exactly right! I've never even thought of that before…" Kyouko trails off, seemingly in deep thought, although just as possibly to slow the conversation down. I can't blame her for either approach in this circumstance.

Unfortunately, I don't have anything beyond that to offer verbally, just another useless nod, and yet another dreadful silence resumes between us as a result. Kyouko doesn't seem entirely bothered, but I can't help but feel guilty about my inadequate conversational skills.

Fortunately, my incompetence doesn't have to be the center of my thoughts any longer as there's a rapping of knuckles on Kyouko's partially cracked room door. It's nothing like my father's unique tapping ritual, but I'm hardly surprised that it's the flamboyant Doctor-of-Something who answers Kyouko's invitation to join us.

"Yo! Hope I'm not interrupting too much good girl talk," This said with the all too obvious but unsaid tag of, "even though I'd be glad and capable of joining in if you let me!"

"Not at all, Uncle. We covered what bases needed covering anyway. Kind of surprised you took so long." Kyouko smiles and shifts her focus towards the group that's formed up outside her door. I follow suit. As expected, Dad is there, as is Kyouko's mother, but the adorable Kaede is depressingly missing. Her absence easily explains the other uncle's truancy as well.

"Well, you know me! Can get carried away talking and all!" He chortles quite loudly, sending a shiver down my spine from the sheer volume. When I look towards my hallmate, she too appears to be rather shaken, surprising given she actually knows this man. I suppose even familiarity isn't enough to quell surprising noises, though. After all, thunderstorms are widespread, are they not?

At this point though, I'm not terribly interested in hearing out their conversation, whatever it might involve. I stand up and walk calmly over towards Dad, the light limp I've walked with since my accident more pronounced as a result of the short time sitting.

"This is way too convenient, wouldn't you say?" I tease him with a smirk, as if he somehow knew. The look of bewilderment on his face tells me pretty plainly he wasn't expecting the way I spoke to him. Admittedly, my own tone surprises me a bit too. In any case, I start to rummage through the things he'd brought, finding the keys for my room in the process.

The clanging of keys seems to alert Kyouko, whose voice breaks through the idle conversation held with her Mom and uncle.

"Are you leaving, Sora?" She questions solemnly, though the look of concern I expect is instead more playful.

"Just getting my stuff into my room." I assure her, opening the door and then immediately knocking on the wall three times with even calculation.

"Ah. That's probably a good idea. The Opening Ceremony is fairly soon isn't it..?" She asks to nobody in particular, before sending a cursory swipe of her wrist, nodding to herself. "Why yes, it's quite close indeed. Perhaps we should start walking that way right now?"

I can't quite grace her directly with an answer now that I've started setting things away in earnest, but thankfully Dad is there to provide a voice to my nod that wouldn't have been heard through the walls temporarily separating us.

With that, it's indefinitely settled, then. It only takes a moment to get everything into a good place before I stand again. I have a momentary panic attack as I look all around for my loafers without success, only remembering they're still at Kyouko's door after I've already raised my voice. Thankfully, all that comes out was an inexplicable squeak, but Kyouko certainly picks up on it based on her giggling.

"Nothing missing I hope?" She teases, already taking steps towards her door, my shoes right in front of her stride as the white cane sweeps about the room gently.

"Not anymore." I assure her, gathering them up and hurriedly getting them on before collapsing into an embarrassed shell as we start back out into the hall.

Come to think of it, just where is this opening ceremony taking place anyway? It should make the most sense to hold it in the courtyard just inside the gates to the school, but we were there only a few minutes ago and nothing had been set up yet. It's a curious thought but I don't let it bother coming to words as the doctor gleefully and confidently leads ahead of us. There's something up with that man, and it isn't his flamboyantly gay attitude.

Even though Kyouko and I drag behind the others on the way to wherever it is we're being led I don't feel comfortable enough to ask more about it. This even as his chatter absolutely fills the hall with its boom. I can at least figure out he's connected to Yamaku somehow, but I have no idea exactly what that connection might be.

The spring breeze greeting us upon exiting the building is surprisingly chilly, and I can't help but stop to shiver and bite my lip. Kyouko seems less affected, her figure a lot less unhealthily thin than mine after all, but it's clear that our short stay indoors has managed to completely wreck our previous accommodation to the temperature outside.

The previous question about the location of the Opening Ceremony is answered immediately, at least. Just behind both dorms is a well-sheltered and blooming set of trees. These aren't cherry blossoms, but the ground is still littered with pink from elsewhere. It's an absolutely splendid sight, but when I think about it more in relation to my companion, guilt is driven roughly into my stomach.

Chairs have been set up in rows facing the platform, a plain plywood structure that looks almost haphazardly stuck together. It's still being put together actually. A pair of older girls are waving their arms about wildly whenever they aren't holding something in their arms. I might not have even noticed them if not for the ridiculous pink drills of hair on one of them.

As it turns out her hair isn't the only part of her that's loud. Poor Kyouko's only solace is that she's farther away and has my body to potentially eat a few vibrations. When I turn to face her, she's jumped at least five feet away and stopped in her tracks. The expression she wears is coated in daggers and malice, but she manages to collect herself shortly afterward.

Her lips start to move, but I can't quite discern what she has to say. The same went for the loud, pink-haired one, for the matter, the volume overwhelming any vocal clarity. I could actually make out a few of the simpler gestures here and there, but as it turned out the little bit of sign language I'd read about hasn't stuck. Come to think of it, I couldn't exactly sign successfully myself anymore. Hopefully this pair won't be featuring too much in my future…

There are plenty of other older students working around the area, but we've stopped before I can get a better look. As expected, Uncle Doctor is the one to speak up first.

"Well, I guess you're here then! We'll let you two find your seats and take nice commemorative photos, eh?" He grins, his eyes closed and hands on his hips. Somehow I doubted photos would be terribly appreciated around the Tadamichi household, but there's no reason for me to say that.

"I wouldn't get too excited. The ceremony still won't start for a while," Kyouko interjects with a shaken laugh, the ridiculous yelling from earlier still affecting her. She doesn't hesitate to turn to me from there, grinning widely despite her demeanor. "I suppose we'll find our seats now, hallmate?"

I nod along, before adding a verbal "Yeah," to the water sloshing in my head so Kyouko can hear. I can't think of anything to add to it, and the adults accompanying us are all out of earshot before I even notice.

There's a chance we'll be asked to move before the ceremony starts, but I'm not too worried about the possibility. There aren't any name tags on any of the seats, and several others are already sitting down.

We find a pair of our own, and face forward as the sounds of light construction fill the gaps left by idle conversations all around us.

The breeze is feeling nice by now. What I'm not expecting is the sensation of something soft resting against my shoulder. A moment later, it's joined by a flourish of flowing brown and grey hair cutting across my sightlines.

"Kyouko?" I turn to look at my hallmate, but receive no immediate response. She hasn't fallen asleep, has she?

"It's a nice day isn't it?" She says, whisper quiet. To my surprise, her eyes are actually open, the dull amber catching a remarkable glint in the afternoon Sun. It's all I can do not to stare the entire time.

I hardly think of what to say before it just flows out, my gaze migrating back towards the platform still under construction.

"Yeah. It is." I murmur.


	4. Chapter 4: The Sleeping Beauty

Chapter 4: The Sleeping Beauty

Just wait a minute, is everything alright about this situation?

"Ehm… Are you okay, Kyouko?" I speak up with a healthy batch of baffled worry in my voice. Gentle warmth is spreading rapidly across my cheeks.

"Hmm, just a bit tired. You don't mind, do you?" The girl giggles so playfully that I almost forget we've only been acquainted for the lesser part of an hour.

Is this normal for her? Just falling asleep on relative strangers? Though truthfully, it seems to make sense that she's comfortable with physical touch. Still, it's more than a little discomforting, though.

"I-I guess not…" I finally murmur, turning away anxiously and setting eyes on the rest of the crowd. The pace is so rapid I almost can't begin to comprehend what I'm seeing, but I fixate on the odd pair working on the platform first. They provide ample distraction from the curious situation on my shoulder.

"Good. It's always more fun resting my head on somebody else than on a pillow anyway." The brunette continues with a delighted smirk, simply not interested in how awkward I found this entire scenario. In a way, her disregard is helping me relax through the discomfort. Perhaps this is along the same lines of ignoring a dog during a thunderstorm to reinforce that the storm isn't something to worry over?

Even with that in mind, I can't entirely shake the unease I'm going through.

Silence resumes between us from there for some time, and I can barely keep my own eyes open as Kyouko's breathing slows beside me. Curious, I dare a look downward at her form, scarred and battered in ways I'm hesitant to imagine. From the angle, most of what I can see of her is the crown of her head, those unnatural grey frazzles marring otherwise beautiful and perfect brown hair.

Her body rises rhythmically and consistently with every breath, though I swear there's the barest hint of a hitch or a roughness in it. I'm lucky my own accident hadn't caused lung damage, so perhaps she's not quite so fortunate. Her face is dainty, the scarring not enough to destroy the cute and smooth foundation she's built from. The careful attention she pays to herself despite being blind is clear as day.

It takes me a few minutes to realize I've been staring, and when I look up we're far less isolated than we had been. I give a nervous smile to a few other girls sitting near us, and it seems we have in fact come to rest in the girl's section. As I look around, it's curious to note that this half of rows is considerably larger than the other. I can't put an exact number to it, but it might be something like a 3:2 ratio? 60-40, in percentage terms, I believe.

It's odd but I don't think much of it in comparison to all of the others there are around us. If the entry-way with all the new students had been just a taste of Yamaku's diversity, then this is truly the main dish. White canes are still the most common feature of any, but they're hardly the only thing I notice now.

One girl who catches my eye hardly looks much like a girl at all. Her hair is short and auburn like my own, but her outfit is the boy's uniform, with its white shirt and green slacks. Just as curiously, she's also wearing sandals. I don't have much time to fret over the injustice of not getting to wear such a comparatively savvy and comfortable uniform; it's clear her sleeves are tied up and the arms beneath are not the proper length at all. I'm not eager to think of what kind of accident might have led to that.

That thought puts another deep pit into my stomach. Is it wrong of me to be cataloguing my peers and seniors like this? Every single one of them has lived through some kind of personal hardship that at the least matches my own, and here I am with a blind girl sleeping peacefully on my shoulder, putting everybody into categories.

The irony of it all makes me want to throw up. Violently. Instead, I stir a bit, and my sleepy hallmate starts to groan. At the very least, it distracts me from my grim imagination.

"Is it starting yet?" Her voice is far less inexplicably clear than it normally is, easily owed to the fact that she's just waking from a quick nap.

"Soon." I try to assure her, but the brunette continues to stir, rubbing her face and working impressively hard to wake up more completely. That didn't seem to take long.

"Hmm, I can't sleep anymore anyway." She murmurs, patting her mouth gently through one of the most absurdly adorable yawns I've ever witnessed. My thoughts return to the little sister, and I'm once again not surprised to see that the two have a great resemblance to one another.

My attention is wholly stolen away from the rest of the world now as she stretches, the uniform outlining her form almost provocatively, her over-the-top waking ritual nearing its end.

"You're pretty stiff, Sora." She says through yet another yawn before grinning. It seems she's finally gotten back to her normal, sarcastic self now. Strange that I was missing it a tad.

"Stiff? What makes you say that?" I raise an eyebrow curiously. How exactly am I stiff?

"I could barely tell the difference between your shoulder muscles and blade is what I mean," Her teasing continues, but I still can't quite figure out exactly what she's suggesting. "You should try relaxing sometime."

"It's hard to relax when somebody you just met is perched to your shoulder…" I retort in a murmur, but it seems effective as the teasing stops from there. Instead, Kyouko giggles softly, setting herself upright and yawning adorably one more time. On a whim I check my phone for the first time since I got out of the car. It's already been an hour and a half since that point in time. Or has it _only_ been an hour and a half since then?

"Maybe so," Kyouko continues right where she left off even as the crowd noise starts to grow and the spots around us start to fill up with young bodies. "I forget sometimes, sorry."

Something about her tone tells me she's not as sorry as she claims, or maybe just that she finds it too amusing. I can't leave this peculiar behavior unaddressed any longer, though.

"Why were you so tired..?" My head tilts as I face her more completely.

"It was time for a nap," She explains matter-of-factly, but naturally I'm just more confused about it. It takes her a moment to realize how meaningless her statement was. "Well, rather it's the only way I can stay functional. When I lost my sight there was a high chance I might develop non-24-sleep-wake disorder. The only real way to counteract it was a completely different kind of sleep schedule."

"Just a chance you might develop it?" I'm still confused but at least things are starting to make a bit of sense, at least. I do remember reading about non-24, there was even a commercial about it during my stay in the hospital. Something about not having the same internal clock as the rest of the world liked.

Kyouko nods, folding her arms across her chest, her eyes finally opening after all of this time spent chattering. The flash of dull amber is ironically rather eye-catching.

"Yeah. I never did, I still sense just a bit of light, which is enough that my body still gets the signals it needs for a regular sleeping schedule. But by the time that was clear, I'd already been getting just a few hours of sleep a night with regular naps, and I enjoyed it better that way." The last of her sleepiness has worn off by now, so I nod along rather casually.

She isn't too bad at giving clear answers after all, though I wouldn't call it too terribly concise. Still, it's surprising that the short time we've sitting here is enough for her to get a full nap in.

Eventually the area around the opening ceremony has completely filled up, and a few of the upperclassmen have to guide people to the few remaining open seats. Of course, not a one of those poor souls gets to sit next to anybody they want to, but they only keep so many chairs.

"Are they almost done?" Kyouko pesters from the side, warranting a shrug before I can give a proper response.

"Almost." I confirm quietly, which is plenty enough answer for the brunette beside me.

It's another several minutes before things have died down enough that the faculty and staff of the school approached the platform painstakingly built up by the blue and pink pair from earlier. Plenty of whispers break out against the tranquil silence, but I'm more intent on following what's said…

Right, that doesn't last terribly long. I'm at least glad I have Kyouko to turn to if this overtly boring scenario gets any worse, but it's hard to imagine these speeches getting any more dull. Overall, the lack of formality is actually a bit stifling, as if nobody up on the platform has any clue what they're doing.

No single staff speaker seems to stand out here. I have trouble telling if the crowd is listening intently or just sleeping away, but it would be funnier to think that everybody besides Kyouko and me is asleep. One moment a thin, ruggedly shaved science teacher is espousing some nonsense about physics and the universe, the next a rotund, flamboyantly dressed man proclaiming to be the art teacher is talking at length about the program here...

As if I need a reminder of that. If Yamaku wasn't the only facility of its caliber in Japan I probably would have run someplace else entirely. Instead, the arts are so tauntingly, agonizingly close.

"Everything alright?" Kyouko's hand moves to rub at my back. It's only through this action that I realize I've been heaving considerably throughout the art teacher's speech. I let a light cough and nod, sitting back upright.

"Yeah, just a little uneasy in the stomach." I lie, all too blatantly. There's no reason anybody needs to be bothered with my past dreams. They're dead now, and it's best to leave them buried.

Kyouko simply lets a slight hum, and the other alerted girls around our seats turn back to the boring speeches. I've completely lost track of time by the time they introduce the Student Council and their speaker, and it's hardly surprising to see the pink-haired girl from earlier stepping up. She doesn't take the podium however, a wide grin on her cheeks as her companion instead steps up, her arms starting to move about in measured patterns once she's settled in. I notice now for the first time that she wears glasses, stylish thin frames that actually really tied—

"GOOD AFTERNOON YAMAKU!" The ear-piercing sound of an over-amplified voice stabs through the otherwise tranquil sight. The rest of the audience must jump nearly 20 feet back as a result, and I naturally can't resist doing the same.

Kyouko next to me is a quivering mess when I turn to face her. By the time I can even think to offer some kind of comfort however, the moment has passed.

Whatever noises the crowd has been making before stop now as staff rush to get the microphone levels to an acceptable place once again. The blue-haired girl, Shizune Hakamichi is unfazed by the aural assault, and has to be stopped before her long 'speech' goes completely untranslated. The panic on the platform can be _heard_ from here, to say nothing of the visual chaos being wrought.

And among it all, despite my best efforts, I start to laugh. A light, healthy giggle and nothing more.


	5. Chapter 5: Ite, missa est

Chapter 5: Ite, missa est

It's just one little laugh, but somehow it sets off an avalanche. I don't know what's so funny about this disaster of an Opening Ceremony, but clearly I'm not the only one. Kyouko is the next to join in, being closest to me, and from there it just seems to cascade out of control.

I'm probably letting being the first to laugh at a comedic situation get to my head a bit here.

After a moment, a clearing of throats at the platform finally quiets everybody down, and Miss Hakamichi starts addressing the rest of the school. The embarrassed blush on her cheeks is easy enough to see even from here. Her partner in crime wears no such badge, curiously.

"Alright, now that our audio issues have been fixed!" The pink-haired girl, who still hasn't been introduced, continues while Hakamichi resumes her furious signing. "Welcome again new students and old of Yamaku Academy!"

Somehow, the changes in the audio levels aren't doing much to diminish this girl's sheer bravado and gusto. It's hard to decide if she's this over the top to compensate for Hakamichi's apparent deafness or if she really would be like this regardless of who she was associated with. It's probably the latter.

"We of the Student Council just want to quickly let everybody know that we're looking forward to making this upcoming year a great one! There are big plans as always for the annual Festival too! Wahaha~!" Again, I have to doubt the authenticity of the laugh to Hakamichi's speech, but it helps ease everybody a bit, even as this girl's voice continues to drive ice picks into our ears.

"Anybody interested in joining the Student Council should see us immediately! Or for any other clubs, for that matter… The first deadlines will be coming up already very soon! Ah, um…" The girl pauses as her partner's gesticulations become impossible to decipher, much less interpret. The two eventually come back to the same wavelength. "So be ready! Don't expect anything to be easy~!"

I grow increasingly apprehensive as this odd speech goes on, but I feel immediately alone in this regard. Many of the other girls around us look excited, and it's rare to find anybody with an unenthused expression on their face. None of them are looking around at their peers as actively as I am, and the realization of this sets a blush to my cheeks.

As it drags on, I inevitably tune out the remaining speech, sighing and letting my mind wander to the festival they'd just mentioned. I had heard only a bit about it, but my limited experience with attending other high school festivals told me that they typically weren't anything to get worked over. I highly doubt Yamaku will be any different in that regard, unless I get roped into helping out…

"Thank you again, and welcome to Yamaku Academy~!" With that there's a final massive flourish and the speech is finished as soon as it's started. Surprising, considering all the other speeches seemed to take ages. I suppose Hakamichi is even more pragmatic than I first imagined if her bit is so short in length. Students know students well enough though I suppose.

The light applause accompanying her exit is met even more thunderously as it's the final thing preceding our dismissal by the staff. The largely pointless Opening Ceremony is finally over. On the one hand, I'm happy to have it over with before classes began; on the other I'm not sure if I'll regret having that extra class time or not.

I don't waste much more time before I'm standing again. My companion takes considerably more by comparison, mostly to get her cane ready to go again. It seems like everybody's clearing out in a fairly predictable pattern, and this is largely thanks to the fact that this wooded area is about the extent of Yamaku's campus. There's nowhere to go but back, excusing the more adventurous types.

Unsurprisingly, the exit points are absolutely teeming with club members trying to recruit for the year. Most of the people walking around simply ignore these, but there are enough people stopping that it interrupts the flow of traffic considerably.

Before I can think of my own approach to the looming mass of handout, a hand grabs at my sleeve. It's Kyouko, naturally.

"Hey, is it clear to go?" She asks somewhat timidly. Her voice is surprisingly meek to the point where I almost forget this is the same sarcastic and joking girl I only met a few hours ago.

"It's a little crowded… A lot crowded…" I start, looking all around with a sigh. The traffic of bodies is painfully slow. "Um… We won't get very far very quickly if we head back for the dorms right away."

This gives her momentary pause, but she simply smiles, tugging my sleeve again.

"We can wait here then, unless you'd rather go ahead. I can navigate on my own and all."

"Nah. I'll stay." I blink nervously, looking back at her smile. It's so hard to get a full read on her at this point. Is she just naturally a teasing individual to make up for some self-perceived shortfall? Aren't I just overthinking this again?

In any case, my comment seems to make her happy, and the all too common silence that resumes between us has taken on a more comfortable, familiar sensation. It might not be so bad after all.

"Are you thinking of joining any clubs?" Her voice suddenly breaks through the silence like a jackhammer, nearly sending me several feet out of her reach. The embarrassment is made all the worse by the fact she uses her normal speaking voice.

"Well, to be truthful, I don't think I was going to… Joining wasn't compulsory, right?" I laugh nervously, scratching the back of my head and looking around us. The crowds are starting to disperse. The clubs have all expanded in members certainly, but fewer are holding down their respective forts than before.

This answer isn't as satisfactory for Kyouko as my previous, however.

"Nothing sounded interesting at all?" She angles her head towards me with an adorable pout. The way she manages to approximate my gaze so often is nothing short of terrifying.

"N-not really…" I stammer, clearing my throat and looking away. Damn it all, my hallmate is going to pressure me into joining a club, isn't she? I suppose that wouldn't be too bad though, would it?

I expect a further prodding, but instead Kyouko breaks her false gaze to look towards the ground. She couldn't be giving up this easily, right? It's too pitiful seeing her looking like this. I'm playing right into her hands now, completely obliviously.

"But I guess I could always be convinced…" I manage slowly, just as I'm certain that the shorter brunette has given all of the acting she could muster. The reaction is worth it all, as she turns back towards me with the widest, most sincere if slightly disconcerting grin I've ever seen somebody have.

"Oh is that right? Hehe, well we'll certainly find out!" Kyouko smirks before grabbing my sleeve again and starting off suddenly. I almost fail to catch myself from the surprise at being dragged around by a blind girl. The number of inexplicable reversals today is becoming uncanny.

Moments later, we link up in a more convenient fashion for guidance. Though we aren't touching too closely, her body heat is still radiating onto me. For such a relatively small girl, she's incredibly warm.

"I suppose you had a club in mind for yourself?" I butt in before we've fully cleared the rows of fold-up chairs.

"Music," I'm answered straight-away! Pragmatism isn't a lost art at all, it seems. "But, I was thinking of trying something new, too. Maybe the Student Council later on when I'm more acquainted with the school."

Kyouko nods to herself, and I'm hesitant to even wonder about what might be going through that head of hers now. In a single moment she's established an ambition I hadn't quite sensed in her before.

"I'm guessing that was an instrument you had before, then?" I ask, a bit dumbly if I'm to be honest.

"One of them! Well, the one I own at least. Pianos tend to be a bit expensive on their own," She snickers, and I have to join in despite not quite understanding her meaning. "It was a violin, if you hadn't guessed before. I also dabble on the viola. I'll probably be asked to switch over completely before too long."

My eyes go a bit wide as yet another instrument joins the fray. At this point, I'm wondering if the drums and guitar aren't about to show up too, but I address my awestruck state less haphazardly than that.

"That's pretty incredible. Lots of practice, right?" I feel like my body language is selling my expression for a change, and the moment is long past before I realize patting myself on the back is useless given Kyouko can't detect it.

All I get is a nod. A strange choice, but it's effective enough and she seems to know this.

Somehow, giving her a nod in return is sufficient, so we start on our path back to the dorms. The clubs are relentless as ever, but we're doing our level best to ignore them at the moment.

We almost get away with it too, but a curiously familiar sight steps in front of, a rotund man in an obnoxious pink jacket. I remember now that he spoke up on the platform earlier, introducing himself as the art teacher. I actually start to feel a bit sick again. This isn't a good start to this looming interaction.

"Afternoon there! Couldn't help but notice you. I don't always learn much about the faces I see but I do always remember the face!" Kyouko doesn't have a moment to wonder about why we stopped as the man speaks up. He chuckles after that, and it's clear that neither of us will have any shortage of loud, boisterous people any time soon.

"What do you mean…? Um…" I struggle with his name despite remembering it too easily. Sadly, I'm almost certain I know what he's about to talk to us about. It isn't going to help my roiling stomach.

"Shinichi Nomiya! Art teacher here. Can't blame you if you fell asleep while we were talking. Especially while that Mutou was talking…" His cheerful demeanor grows sour as he speaks on. I offer nothing more than a light bow of the head, Kyouko matching the gesture nervously. At least I'm not the only person feeling uncomfortable around here.

"Right, um, nice to meet you Mr. Nomiya." I continue, my voice betraying my nerves all too easily.

"You too!" He bellows, this time about causing Kyouko to jump out of her skin for the fifteenth time today. He at least has presence of mind to notice it. "Ah, well um, sorry. I tend to be a little loud. What can I call you two, anyway?"

We both give our names as quickly and politely as possible. Nomiya nods along carefully, the look of appraisal he's giving us chilling me greatly. It isn't a good feeling for a teacher to be exuding, but that might be tempered by the fact that I'm seriously moments away from losing my bland lunch.

"Akiyama, huh? I thought you looked familiar! Well, aside from having the same hairstyle as my star protégé," He laughs again, his voice thankfully not so large it causes problems for Kyouko. "I think it was three years ago by now, an exhibit by one of my colleague's studios. Your sculpture there was quite a hit!"

Ah, there's the fear confirmed. Even preparing for the worst isn't enough to flush out the diabolical thoughts. I lurch forward violently, barely able to stop bile from spilling unceremoniously out of my mouth. It's good I'm not holding onto Kyouko anymore, else the force of my heaving might launch her right into his ridiculous gut.

"Ah, um. Not something you'd like to talk about?" Nomiya blinks with surprise, and I can entertain the thought once again that he actually possesses some humanity in him. It isn't enough to stop the inevitable though, and if I don't move quickly there'll be an embarrassing mess to clean up.

"We should go…" I murmur, looking back to Kyouko and pulling her towards me, apparently quite surprisingly as she yelps in surprise. I would apologize, but if I speak up again it really will be a disaster.

Nomiya simply nods, but it seems he's not intent on giving up his pursuit.

"Should I get the Nurse?" The look on Nomiya's face is more one of mild annoyance than genuine concern, but I decide it's more likely I'm just seeing everything he does as an affront to me.

"No." I choke on the words, starting to walk on now and drag Kyouko along. I can barely even begin comprehending her words of protest, much less heeding them, my situation becoming worse every second.

"Are you sure–" Nomiya's voice is cut off by the chatter growing exponentially around us, as well as the distance I've opened up as quickly as I can. There's no time to explain or anything. I need to get down soon or else I'll make a mess or…

Or worse, I'll start reliving it again.

"We're in our hall." I murmur as soon as we clear the doorway, letting Kyouko go as I beeline for the nearest toilet stall. I'm surprised it actually went this quickly, but the adrenaline pumping in my veins has made time hard to distinguish as well, to say nothing of the memories threatening to explode out of my head.

The lunch I spill isn't the worst I've had to deal with, but it's still nothing resembling pleasant. I haven't eaten much at all yet today, so what leaves is highly dense, and disgustingly adhesive. The sensation of that alone draws a few more painful heaves out of me.

"Damn it all…" I murmur, just glad it's ending quickly and the bad feelings seem to be flowing out with it. Soon, the encroaching memories and nightmares start to dissipate, and I start to feel just a little bit closer to normal.

I stand up, feeling dead inside, a husk of myself. This is nothing new, just something to deal w–

"Sora…" I hear a tap at the edge of the bathroom door that interrupts my self-reassuring thoughts. Kyouko is standing at the edge of the tiles, the concern on her face blatant. "Is everything alright in there?"

I swallow, the awful taste of bile rolling back down my throat and causing me to choke up again.

"Yeah. I'm alright." I lie as soon as the coughing stops.


	6. Chapter 6: O zittre nicht

Chapter 6: O zittre nicht, mein lieber Sohn

"You don't sound like it." I turn the corner to face Kyouko now, and she isn't alone either. Dad rushed up to follow us once he'd seen me keeling over, and not too far behind him are Kyouko's mother and little sister. I can hardly blame her considering I was flailing her older daughter about like a ragdoll.

I look at Dad before I can give any answers. The look of fear on his face isn't reassuring, but I can't act like this isn't something I can't handle, not around him or anybody else for that matter.

"I just had a bit of a rough patch. I'll feel better after some rest. Maybe some medicine–"

"You don't sound like you're even convinced what you're saying is true." Kyouko's voice cuts as clear through the air as I think I've ever heard a voice, and I think even her mother is surprised by the stern tone behind it. It's incredibly jarring, to say the least.

"It's nothing… I'll feel better soon enough…" I continue to be stubborn, and the dejected look I receive from my father and hallmate might end up making me feel worse than the sudden sickness had. I can't meet their gazes like this, so I try to walk past Kyouko. Thankfully, she isn't able to react before I've already gotten halfway to my door.

"…lying to me…" Kyouko speaks, but I'm barely able to make out what she says. The words I do pick out are ones I least want to hear, but what am I supposed to do here? I'm nothing resembling comfortable right now, and lingering on this only makes my awful feeling all the worse.

I try to speak up, but the raw feeling in my throat destroys my words before they can escape. Instead, I simply face Kyouko, breathing slowly. We've only just met, and yet I feel this guilty around her just for not telling something I've never really told anybody before? My thoughts are rapid, but every one of them boils down to wondering what a high school girl could possibly be expected to do in this situation.

"Sorry." I finally manage. No compromise. No offer to see deeper into my heart. Just an empty, worthless apology.

Needless to say, nobody is pleased.

Thankfully, Kyouko at least respects my wishes; turning to face me with what I can only assume is the broken version of her smile.

"As long as you're fine with it, I can't force you to say anything else." The words sting in my ears like nettle, but they're not the worst things that could be said. I don't want to talk, so it's thankful that it's Kyouko's mother who does it next.

"Should we let you two be alone?" This gets a grateful nod of my head, which is an answer enough for everybody except Kyouko, who of course can't see it.

"Let's get my things ready to go, Dad." I turn to him, feeling as close to defeated as I have in a few weeks. His dumbfounded and helpless look is only exacerbated by the disapproval of the other parent in the room.

It's not his fault I'm getting like this. It's nobody's damn fault, really. I want to say it, but I don't.

"And if you'd like to come over… Or um, if you'd rather I came over Kyouko… Um…" I bite my lip, not sure how to proceed from there. Why am I even opening this door? The words are out of my mouth before I can even take a chance to comprehend.

"It's fine, I'll knock when I'm ready." Kyouko nods solemnly, and the atmosphere finally relaxes, if only by a small margin. It's too soon in the school year for anybody to get too heavily invested into drama like this, and I'm thankfully not the only one thinking this.

Still, as we make our separate ways in close proximity, I have trouble quelling the awful pain in my core. Yamaku was supposed to be a new opportunity, and yet the shadows of my past are biting at my heels all too ravenously already. It's hardly fair at all, is it?

I hardly even notice the short passing of time between our standoff and my room being unpacked and fully ready to go. It's not a surprising or unfamiliar feeling, though it's not quite like my early stay in the hospital, when I was bedridden. It's more like the early parts of therapy, when I was still struggling to come to terms with the paralysis, still trying to understand just how I'd been affected and what I needed to do to be functional again.

"I suppose this is goodbye for now, Sora?" Dad's voice cuts through my thoughts like a sharp knife, and I'm thankful that I don't jump as a result. I nod and give him a hopeful smile, a genuinely hopeful smile.

"Yeah. Thanks so much for everything. I'll be sure to send as often as I can." I start towards him, but he takes the bigger initiative to close the distance and begin the hug, making the job as easy as lifting my left arm to wrap about him. I haven't been hugged this warmly in a while. It's incredibly calming.

"I'm going to miss, my little girl." He rubs at my auburn hair, and I can't help but giggle. Whatever Mrs. Tadamichi might have to say to him, she can't take away that Dad can make me feel better in an instant.

"I'll miss you too, Dad… I love you." I lean in further to the hug.

"I love you too."

The moment is tender but it passes too quickly. It's good it didn't come any closer to my episode, else I might never let him go, and his fairly nice outfit would need to be washed of tear stains. Instead, we've said our goodbyes, and I'm left to it right away. My new school and home for the next three years, Yamaku Academy awaits.

My heart flutters a bit, and I raise an arm to my stomach to check out of habit. This isn't a bad feeling though. It's hopeful, episodes or not.

I don't expect a knock for quite some time, so I set to my desk to begin some writing therapy. A piece of paper is already lying at my desk, a pencil on the left side of it with nothing yet written. It's all I can manage just getting myself to write very basic characters one at a time now that my right hand became useless, but the improvement through daily practice has been incredible.

I start immediately on my name, carefully gripping the pencil in my left hand. It's still a foreign, unnatural feeling trying to write like this, but the stroke is far more even than the unnatural feeling makes it seem.

"A-… Ki-…" I murmur gently. Talking through the writing process always helps considerably, especially since the first character of my name is a rather hard one, involving more strokes than the rest of my name combined. I'm thankful I was given the simplest option for "Sora" at birth. The character for "mountain" that precedes it is even easier.

"Yama…"

It's as soon as I've finished transcribing my name the fifth time that the knock finally comes, surprisingly at my wall and not my door. It's curious enough that I knock back, perhaps in an attempt to get some kind of complex answer. Instead of a response, I hear a faint shuffling, which I interpret to mean Kyouko is moving about in her room. I decide there's still time to write later as I look down at my awful calligraphy, leaving it for now.

I open my door and turn the corner, a relaxed smile on my face. I wasn't entirely lying when I said that the bad feelings would dissipate, but that of course didn't mean they stopped existing. Kyouko is standing just outside her threshold, about to extend her cane.

"I can come in if you'd rather stay." I offer, giving her pause, a rather long one, surprisingly.

"I guess." She finally murmurs her answer after some delay, and I take that as my blessing to enter. The lack of objection as I walk past is plenty to reassure me that this was a good assumption.

"Are you feeling any better?" Kyouko immediately cuts to it, and I nearly lurch at the suddenness of the question. So much for the possibility of subtlety…

"Yeah. It's um," I scratch at my cheek, standing by her chair anxiously. "It's just something that happens, I guess. I'm not saying we can't talk about it ever, but… I'd rather we didn't for now."

"That's fine," Her answer is too plain, and it feels as if a wedge has driven between us again. I'm left wondering what I'm supposed to say in this circumstance for the second time today. She doesn't let these thoughts linger for long, though.

"So I take it moving in wasn't a hassle?"

I shake my head before realization kicks in, very quickly this time around.

"Not too badly. It might have been worse if Dad hadn't come by, but even then I could manage it."

"That's good." She nods as well, visual language clearly something she hasn't entirely forsaken despite her condition. It's pretty comforting to have it, regardless of how unnecessary it might be.

Before I can finish thinking, she opens her mouth again, but pauses before words escape. A finger goes to her lip and she seems to contemplate the hanging words hard. This of course leads to another protracted silence between us. It's not easy to break into the conversation when the only other participant wants to say something very badly.

I do it anyway.

"Hey, so… The violin right?" I tap my finger against my shoulder, looking around the room for the object in question.

"Oh good, you were paying attention!" There's a sudden spark in Kyouko's eyes, and I remember now that she had this same spark when I asked her about what clubs she was interested in joining.

"Yeah," I giggle nervously, giving up my helpless search for the bright yellow case in question. "I um… You wouldn't mind playing some time for me, would you?"

The question seems asinine and dumb to ask, especially considering the same question asked whenever I still painted or sculpted was obnoxious and warranted a "No," but I went ahead and asked anyway.

I'm surely a fool.

Instead of a straight "No" or a scoff though, I instead get a rather serious look. Kyouko's contemplating things yet again. I'm starting to really appreciate this careful thinking she can go to, not the least because she looks surprisingly adorable when she does so. Kaede must have learned much from her.

"I think sometime of course! Tonight probably isn't good, though. I'm not too sure where there are any practice rooms here, and I wouldn't want to disturb our fellow students." She finally reaches a decision, her face showing more realism than enthusiasm.

Somehow, I doubt anybody here would mind a bit of violin playing, but I suppose I'll just have to wait.

"Right… Well, just as long as you don't mind me, at least. I understand if you change your mind." I offer a smile, before my legs finally give in. The chair is far too tempting to resist after all.

"Oh, you'll have a chance to hear me eventually anyway. I'm certain the music club will probably play for this festival they're having." She reassures me, though I'm not sure why that would be necessary. That is, unless she genuinely thought holding out on me was depriving me of something.

"Well I'll look forward to it." I smile, leaning back in the chair and kicking my left leg up, resting it over the less active right. I stare at the plain ceiling, painted the same way as mine and undecorated like mine. It reminds me a bit too closely of the hospital, where only as much life and energy as is safe for a patient is allowed into the space.

The reason in Kyouko's room is a lot less dire; it's simply that decorations can't really be enjoyed. It's simple, yet the minimalistic styles are pleasant to look upon, and provide no obstacles for walking.

It's relaxing to the point that I almost don't catch myself starting to doze off. As I look across the room for the clock, I realize that it's already almost 6:00 PM. The light outside has almost entirely given way to night. Where did all of that time go?

I don't fret over it too badly, this comfortable silence between me and Kyouko too pleasant to want to break it deliberately. Of course, that says nothing in the case of something unexpected.

"What's it like sleeping blind?" I blurt my thought aloud, and my eyes go wide as I realize it's far too late to take the words back. Compared to how she often lingers on words, I'm an absolutely stupid mess.

I don't know why I expect a harsher reaction, but all I get is a chuckle and a bright smile from my short hallmate, her eyes closed and body looking relaxed.

"It's just a little bit darker than the pitch black it was before. At least to me. Why do you ask?" She angles her head towards me, but makes no real effort to break the trance-like appearance of her face.

"Just… Um, n-no reason!" I quickly justify, and it seems the sudden segue out of silence ends at that.

Kyouko at least seems amused, rather than truly annoyed.

The light ticking of the clock in the room threatens to lull me to sleep, and it seems like the next hour or so of time passes in a blur. The room is dark now, impossibly dark actually as the lights had never been switched on, and I have to squint to make out even the faint outline of the clock.

It's all I can do to lift myself out of my seat before sleep takes me. From the sounds of it, Kyouko already passed out a few minutes ago, so I do what I can to tip-toe away so as not to disturb. It's only by the time that I get to the door that I realize it might be a bit cruel to leave her without letting her know.

"Kyouko," I edge closer, barely able to decipher outlines in the matte black of her room. It's a good thing her floor is almost entirely devoid of things to trip over. "I think I'm going back over to my room."

My voice is quiet enough that I fear she won't stir, but the form of a girl in the Yamaku uniform starts to fidget under the covers of the bed. She'll probably want to see about changing into pajamas. Or whatever she wears when she's in bed. Don't think about your blind hallmate sleeping naked. Stop it.

"Ah… I fell asleep didn't I..?" Her question goes to nobody in particular, so I only give an affirmative nod to it. One day I'm going to realize how fruitless that is...

"That's no good…" She murmurs, and I swear I hear the faintest hint of a sniffle. Is she..?

"Erm, are you alright?" I edge even closer, able to finally make out a few dark details. I wish I had thought to turn on the lights on the way back in. It's not as if I would do her a great disservice or anything. At most things would go from very dark to slightly less for her.

I'm not able to entirely make out what she says next, but it's equally not directed towards me. Her face is scrunched with worry, and I'm suddenly concerned she might have been having a bad dream. Of course, the natural thought in regard to that just about passes my lips before I catch it.

"Yeah. Good enough," She shrugs, finally answering and smiling sleepily as I start to back towards the door. "You're leaving now?"

"Yeah…" I murmur, suddenly feeling a bit bad. Was she really alright? Her voice seems a bit shaky, uncertain whereas it's normally been crystal clear. I would have chalked it up to having just woken from a nap, but I've already seen her wake up before. She acted decidedly more like herself back then.

"Have a good night then, Sora," she starts with a smile before remembering something. "Would you like any help waking up, by the way? I'll probably be awake way before classes start."

"We'll um… I guess we'll find out?" I answer meekly. It's actually rather fortuitous of her to suggest this; I'm probably as close to the antithesis of a morning person as anybody can be.

With that, she simply smiles in the darkness, her head bobbing sleepily as I creep away. Once in my room, I return to my writing drills, going through the first two alphabets five times each. The work is pitiful, but it's been getting better. I have to remind myself that it won't be great overnight.

I swear I hear a knock or some other sound against the wall at some point, but a light tap back at the wall I face doesn't receive any answer. Another comes minutes later, but I tune it out now, too involved in my writing drills to worry over it.

The drills done, I collapse into bed, almost forgetting to undress from my uniform. It doesn't really matter; there are at least three or four more in my closet, so letting this one get wrinkly isn't so bad a thing. I do know how to iron, if anything else.

"Kyouko Tadamichi…" I murmur, staring at my ceiling, room still lit thanks to personal oversight. Sleeping with the lights on isn't too bad. It just makes waking up a bit harder.

I let her name mingle in the air a bit longer. I feel a bit sad that I've only really made acquaintance with one person so far here at Yamaku, but I'm also relieved that she's my hallmate, and a nice girl to boot. There'll be chances to meet more people tomorrow, I decide.

I don't know exactly when I pass out, but my lights never do go off over the course of my first night spent at Yamaku Academy.

* * *

About 15,000 words later, we're on through the first day! Was there any reason that had to take so long? Hmm, all things considered though, I suppose this could have been a lot worse. Poor Sora never got to meet anybody but her hallmate, her family, and Nomiya, after all.

In any case, I hope you've been enjoying this, especially if you're re-reading and noticing the changes I've put in since I first published. Please R&R if you so feel inclined!


	7. Chapter 7: Fugue in G Minor (Little)

Chapter 7: Fugue in G Minor "Little"

I don't fully recall when I passed out last night nor details of my dreams, but as I groan and toss about in my bed at what must be 6:00 in the morning, it's clear I didn't manage to have a good night's sleep. I'm having trouble deciding whether to call the images in my dream a nightmare or not.

This kind of scenario seems to call for a trip to the bathroom, but my body is stiffer than expected as I work myself upright. I reach up to brush tangled red locks out of my eyes, blowing at the right side of my bangs to do the same.

There's some momentary panic as I nearly tumble out of my high bed onto the floor. Nothing around me seems familiar in the least and I clearly didn't have a good night's sleep despite never once awaking in the middle of the night.

I can only reassure myself I'm still myself once I've looked in the mirror, the memories of my school situation rushing back into my head. I'm still me, still looking painfully thin and tall for a girl my age, still wearing various faint, coffee-colored stains on my pale legs, still not able to move my right arm in any useful manner.

I suppose that's a good thing, not changing drastically in one night. It's still no less disappointing when I try to lift my arm to absolutely no avail.

Given the darkness and the hour, I hardly expect what comes after yet another yawn. There's a concentrated, light tapping at the door, a knock that almost scares me out of my skin. I bite my lip, looking down again to see my preferred pajamas, a t-shirt that barely covers me modestly and panties as plain as they come. I'm in no state to answer a door…

"Are you up, Sora?" A voice calls from the other side. It's familiar, like one I know rather closely but have only learned recently. It takes me a moment to remember exactly who it could be.

"Close enough," I groan, barely loud enough for me to hear myself, but it's sufficient for a quick acknowledgement. I suppose I was worrying over nothing looking down at my clothes. "It's unlocked."

As expected, the lock clicks gently and the handle turns, my door giving way to a petite, relatively robust blind girl the same age as me. It seems she was about to catch a morning shower as her head and body both are wrapped in clean white towels. The sight is more than a little-attention grabbing, and I have no choice but to follow my baser instinct of staring at it.

"I'm surprised you're up this early. It's barely past 6. Don't classes start at 7:30?" Kyouko steps in, her eyes closed peacefully but her face active and seeking feedback.

"I'm surprised too," I murmur, before tilting my head at her. "Have you been up long?"

"I just finished a 20-minute. But I was up for a couple hours before that." She speaks somewhat triumphantly, and it's this that reminds me of her sleeping schedule. I can hardly imagine how that would possibly work, but she seems insistent that it does.

"I see… Um, I mean, well," Damn, I never realized before how close I normally come to being an absolute blithering mess around her. Thankfully Kyouko doesn't seem bothered, giggling lightly to herself and saying nothing. "I guess you're taking a shower?"

Before she can answer, my stare returns to her curious features, the extensive scarring that's far worse than mine, caused by cuts, scrapes, and gouges rather than chemicals. I hadn't seen much more than her face and a few inches of her round legs before, but now that she stands before me with little but a towel, I can see that they continue unevenly across her entire body. As I trace it across her leg, I notice that there's a sudden, unnatural change in direction lasting only a few inches before resuming.

When I settle on her bare feet, I feel another urge to rush to the toilet. Her left side is largely unscathed, but her right foot is missing the outside toe, and the ones closest to it look grotesque and malformed. It's incredible that I never noticed any kind of limp before in her gait presented with this new information. I look back up quickly, breath heavy and stuck in my throat.

"Sure am! Thinking of one too?" Her response almost catches me completely off-guard even if it's an expected one. I can't shake a sinking sensation that the question is being heavily loaded with emphasis. I'm having a lot of trouble discerning exactly why though, so I press on.

"Yeah, eventually…" I murmur quietly, rubbing at my bum arm and looking away. Truthfully, a shower immediately would be nice. A bath would be even more so, but that isn't too practical this early.

She simply hums her approval, turning about on the balls of her feet with surprising grace. She doesn't leave just yet, instead resuming her conversation with me.

"Don't worry about waiting for me to finish or anything. I'm pretty sure there are at least four different showerheads." She reassures me.

"They're all in different stalls, too." I add, probably meaninglessly, but she seems to nod with understanding over it. With that she departed for the bathroom, the light padding of her feet the only discernible noise being made in all of Yamaku for a few moments.

There's no use overthinking this anymore, a shower is desperately needed right now.

A few minutes later, my outfit resembles Kyouko's, though my towel is beige and I don't have another for my head. Just one of the many lovely things about short hair I've discovered in the past few years is that it doesn't need to be dried as incessantly as long hair.

One of the showers has already been running for a few minutes, the splatter of water rather heavy and plodding. I sincerely hope the showers here can at least hold temperature on their own. I'm not looking forward to either an intensely cold or scalding hot foray. The step onto the tiles doesn't make me feel much better about being able to control my shower fate. It's icy cold on my naked, square toes.

There's a strange aroma to the bathroom, one that wasn't there before. At first I decide it's just the smell of Kyouko's soap and shampoo, but there's a musty quality to it that doesn't make much sense. I don't really have the time to worry over it as I slide past the stall holding Kyouko, taking up the only spot adjacent to it.

My movements aren't entirely quiet, but my presence is either unnoticed or unacknowledged for the first part of my shower. I slip the towel off and onto a holding ring away from the shower chamber, sighing gently as the cold air of the room starts to seep into me. It's by and far my least favorite feeling, this frailty in the cold, my dappled form naked and exposed. Even though they easily conceal me, the plastic stalls do not comfort me from the sensation.

Kyouko finally seems to notice me as my feet smack gently against the tiles of the shower chamber. "Ah, so you did decide to join me." She speaks softly, her tone very matter-of-fact.

"I had to shower eventually." I confirm, yawning again as the cold of her shower encroaches into my stall even before I can begin the water. My skin is prickled with bumps, and I can feel the urge to let something out dominating. I resist it, even if I'm unsure I'll be able to hold out.

"Well, I'm glad you chose now. It's always nice having somebody to talk to." She chuckled, before continuing about whatever her business was.

My unease continues as I begin the stream of water, dodging it expertly as it starts and biting down hard as the thought of being enveloped in this frigid, uncomfortable feeling proves difficult to come to grips with.

It's a great relief that my probing reveals a warm, voluminous stream of water. Still, the temperature might soar out of control if I don't adjust it constantly, so my left arm is constantly trained upon the knob even as I relax and let the cleansing rain wash over my body. I didn't realize until now, but I must have sweated a puddle last night.

Despite her comment, Kyouko doesn't seem all that interested in carrying a conversation with me. I would have trouble carrying one myself if my shower were as cold as hers, though. Is she just unlucky in her stall choice or does she prefer it this way?

Unfortunately, I'm never graced with an answer as she finishes moments before I set to washing my hair. A light dripping accompanies the steady stream of my wonderfully warm envelope of water, then the light ruffle of a towel against skin. I haven't paid much mind to the time, but Kyouko seems to have gotten through her shower rather quickly.

It's strange that neither of us seem to be able to think of something to say. The silence excepting the sound of my shower isn't wholly uncomfortable, but it feels stagnant, unwanted. It's not the kind of silence you'd ever want to be locked in a room with for a long time.

Before I notice anything else, I realize I've finished my shower, body and hair washed, suds properly rinsed everywhere… I almost forget to check my dud arm for offending white bubbles and I'm immediately glad I do.

In any case, I turn the knob a final time, and let out an audible sigh. I'm not too sure what the sigh is for. Is it out of relief? Am I just bored?

I rub some more of the sleep from my eyes and start to swipe off some of the water lingering on my skin so my towel isn't completely soaked through. It's a nice feeling, the steam rising from the tiles and back onto my skin as I pat it clean, vigorously everywhere but the arm again. I had woken up feeling worse than I'd felt in a while, but a simple shower has done a world of difference.

Normally the only bad thing about bathing is the lack of a time reference. My family never really kept clocks or the like in the bathroom for a lot of reasons, probably the biggest being just how thoroughly invested they were in traditional Japanese baths. I thought I never saw much in the investment, but my disappointment at the lack of actual baths in the bathrooms here is telling enough. Something about Utilitarianism being enforced after a life without it makes you miss comforting things.

I started that thought for some reason, but I've completely lost track of why I'm still having it. It doesn't really matter, the clock in the bathroom ticking as I peer over the shower curtains, reading 6:33 AM. So it really is way too early, isn't it? It doesn't matter, it _is_ the first day. Showing some initiative never really hurt anybody, and it's kind of nice too, like I'm on top of my game for a change.

I draw the curtain open with a real smile on my face. At the very least, it feels as if I'm really smiling. There isn't much there in the small cubby before the main shower chamber of mine, but there's enough to remind me that I forgot a razor.

This elicits a sigh, even though the weather is still at the point where a bit of extra, hairy warmth isn't entirely unwelcome. Pulling up pantyhose might be a bit more difficult, though.

I gather up my washcloth and soaps, parting the final curtain and taking a step back out into the bathroom proper. What I don't expect is for Kyouko to be right behind it, wrapped loosely in her towel, something of an impatient look on her face. Has she been waiting for me to finish?

I don't have much more time to contemplate it as she starts smiling rather immediately.

"There we go. I guess I lied about wanting to talk." She says with a light giggle, and I can't help but match it, even if I continue to offer a bewildered expression she can't see.

"It's fine, I couldn't think of anything either…" I murmur, unable to train my gaze on her for too long anyway.

"I suppose we'll get used to it as the year goes on. Or we'll just stop showering 'together' at some point." She giggles and offers a playful wink. Somehow, she manages to emphasize "together" flirtatiously but still make it sound like it's only the technicality that it is.

"Yeah," I murmur, biting my lip before thinking suddenly and speaking hastily. I really need to stop doing this. "You seem to be in a really good mood, y'know."

"It's hard not to be excited about this. I've known about Yamaku for a while now, and I'm finally here…" She pauses, as if to go on I realize, but the feeling is dispelled when she shakes her head dismissively.

I don't know exactly what to say to her in response to that. I've already gathered that a lot of students here see Yamaku as a kind of Promised Land where they can live out their high school years peacefully without worry of their conditions, but Kyouko's reaction seems strange. She wasn't born with her blindness, after all.

The more I think about it, the more I realize the silence between us is growing awkward. I can't think of anything else to really offer, so it's good she takes the initiative again.

"Well, in any case, I doubt you need me harping in your ear while you get dressed," Kyouko nods as she takes a path to her door, stopping there and grinning deviously at me. "To say nothing of the fact that I'll get far less out of it than you will."

"Right. Wait," I blink, suddenly confused. "What do you mean?"

"Just teasing! I'll see you in a few minutes." She gives her all-too-convincing wink before closing the door behind me.

"Huh…" I murmur under my breath before heading inside my own room.

It takes me a few minutes to understand exactly what she meant, but it gets the barest hint of a blush onto my cheeks.


	8. Chapter 8: Introduction, or Sunrise

Chapter 8: Introduction, or Sunrise

Dressing myself alone in my room is about as quiet as should be expected. I chance another look in the mirror, nodding along as I confirm that I'm still me once again. My hair has grown damp and is depressingly straight as a result, but everything else about me is normal.

Everything is normal for _me_ , at least.

The morning is supposed to be rather chilly, so I thankfully have the foresight to throw on the Yamaku blazer over top of the regular uniform. It's still a nice, clean fit even though I haven't tried it on in a few weeks.

It's kind of sad that the heat wave that prompted all of the early cherry blossoms hasn't continued, but at the very least the green blazer is rather stylish and covers up the ridiculous bulbs on the shoulders of the girl's uniform blouse. I think I might make it part of my regular school day attire actually, but I really would just prefer to wear the male uniform altogether.

Hmm, I suppose neckties would still be pretty troublesome even replacing the ribbons though. I've heard it's possible to just leave one tied overnight and just pull it over your head, but at this point I'm just wasting time conjecturing and leaving the required ribbon untied around my neck.

I take another look at myself in the mirror, dressed up in the Yamaku uniform now with a bag slung over my shoulder. My hair has dried quickly as expected, but its preferred unkempt appearance is taking its sweet time to return. Honestly, if I weren't so thin I might look the part of a middle-aged woman walking into a job interview.

That thought makes me want to be sick, but a sudden, expected knock at the door dislodges the feeling.

Kyouko is dressed in the same exact ensemble as I am, her hair flat and muted in its color. It's always been a curious sight to me, seeing another girl with her hair wet and out of its typical character. I suppose it's just testament to how important self-made appearances are, but no amount of looking at my own hair after bathing has diminished this surprise.

"Ready to go?"

"Of course." I nod along dumbly before realizing why she remains paused, stepping forward to offer her my arm. I'm not sure when I'll get used to doing this, but I can at least figure out that doing it now is necessary. Kyouko is certainly learning this school just like I am, after all.

The juxtaposition of our forms is precarious as we practically stumble towards the outside doors, rhythmic tapping from Kyouko's cane accompanying us. Both of us are carrying our own bags, and she her violin. It seems like bad luck to think too much about it, but it's a miracle we don't topple over at all on our short journey, immediately greeted by an icy cold breeze that chills me to the core.

"Even though it was so nice yesterday…" I mention off-hand, eliciting a giggle from my hallmate.

"Yeah. It's like somebody forgot they had the heat on and then made it cold again to make up for it." Kyouko sighs alongside me, and I simply shrug with an amused smile.

"Something along those lines." The line actually reminds me of something I've read before. Come to think of it, that series had a new release yesterday too, didn't it?

Our walking falls into step as we seem to finally get down how to balance guidance with bag holding. We're still a good distance from the main building, but I can't help being curious about where I'll be escorting her.

"What room for you?" I ask, the wind slowing at a perfect time to help my quiet voice carry. The very real possibility of forgetting her answer during the admittedly short walk doesn't dissuade me.

"Mine's Class 1-2. The teacher is Yamamoto, I think." Her answer this time is prompt and polite.

"Oh, that's right next to me then, right?" I ask, allowing another long pause to begin before I catch the details I've neglected to mention. "Um, I'm in 1-1."

"That would be how they number them!" She giggles, a rush of warmth heading to my cheeks. Somehow I'd already let myself forget about her sarcasm.

"Right… Um, what about the Music Club room? Where will that be?" I retort, able to keep my wits.

"Oh, you're thinking about stopping by?" Again she answers me with a question of her own, this one a definitive tease. It's becoming a slightly grating personality trait by this point, but at the very least she concedes without delaying.

"It's in the auxiliary building, actually. There's an entire wing called the 'Performing Arts Center.' It's pretty impressive if I recall correctly."

"I s–Gotcha." I nod, able to smile a bit, but unable to diminish the growing blush on my cheeks.

"You think you'll stop by though, right?" She slows down, perking her ear up a bit and developing a lightly concerned face rather than try to look at me. Somehow, she laces a good deal of innocent hope into that statement. I'm afraid to find out what will happen if I say no…

"Yeah. If I can find it at least… Or we might find it together after class?" Might as well extend the offer, we seem to be handling this current arrangement impeccably well. It's not exactly bad if I decide to go; I do want to hear her play.

"Sounds like a date to me," The sly smirk on her face pushes me over what's surely the edge of blush brightness, but I don't have any way of telling. Neither does she, for that matter.

"I'll look forward to it, Sora." The way my name rings so playfully off her tongue convinces me that a bit of embarrassment at the expense of her humor is worth it. Adorable friends are never a bad thing.

"If you say so…" I murmur, able to laugh it off at least a little bit.

The gates that greeted me so coldly yet with such an unmistakable welcome yesterday look like they might freeze my hands off should I touch them today. The main building is just as overly pompous and ridiculous as the dorms and the gate. The doorway is wide, and what I can see of the halls suggests the inside is even more functional than the outside would have you believe.

Its relative, the auxiliary building, is of the same style, and it's far harder to read into than the main building. Despite this, several more lights are already on inside than in the main, and at least a few people have already stopped by for what I assume are routine check-ups.

Now that I think about it, the Head Nurse for Yamaku is housed in that building. I have no clue which if any of the heads I can see in the auxiliary building right now is him, though. It's surprising that we were only given the Nurse's gender ahead of time. You'd think anybody with something resembling medical credentials would be in a rush to display them to the world.

Maybe it would be better to wait on meeting the Nurse.

It's only now that I come to realize we've been paused outside the main doors for some time, and I'm shivering to boot. This, of course, is what stirs my partner.

"Do you actually enjoy freezing to death or did something steal your attention?" She smirks, the way she makes light of it both hilarious and frustrating.

"Sorry. We're at the doors now." I murmur, defeated yet again, as if I ever stood a chance to beat this girl in a game of wiles and wit. The steps up to the hall are quicker than the rather long ramp, but I don't want to test whether we can handle stairs with this ridiculous rig we've set up among ourselves.

Some semblance of warmth starts to return to my body as we finally enter. It's strange really; temperatures like this in January would be nothing short of balmy and unseasonably warm. I'm not alone in expressing relief at leaving the cold weather behind. Kyouko lets a sigh as we find a stone bench to settle on for the meantime. Our bags join us shortly after.

There are still at least 30 minutes until class, but neither of us seems to have much in mind to talk about. It's actually a rather relaxing atmosphere, the rest of Yamaku starting to arrive for the first day of class in a gradually crescendoing wave.

Nobody seems too interested in bothering us just yet, so I imagine we must look either totally exhausted or inseparable. I don't know which possibility is scarier. It could be both.

A few minutes later and Kyouko starts up on her own accord, feeling about for her things before standing and waiting for me to join her.

"We didn't completely lose track of time, right?" Kyouko inclines towards me as we link back up into our precarious joint stance once again.

"Not a chance," I state proudly, having kept a close eye on the clock during our relatively silent sojourn at the bench. "Ready to go then? Room 1-2, right?"

"Yeah." Kyouko nods with a rather bright smile, and it manages to infect me rather convincingly. I can hardly even seem to remember all of the bad stuff that happened…

Ah shit, I went and started thinking about yesterday and now my stomach is groaning again. At the very least I can blame that one on not having had any breakfast, but unfortunately it's too late to try and get something now.

Still, a bit of queasiness does nothing to dismantle the general good mood I've worked myself into as we walk down the First Floor. Logically enough, all of the first-year classrooms are here, and in the order that makes the most sense. Little markers are over the classrooms, running from 1-1, 1-2, 1-3, etc. though some doors in the hallway are completely unmarked.

Surprisingly, activity is bustling far more actively here than it had been by the entrance hallways. We had only been sitting for ten minutes at most, and there were still about fifteen left before the first bell, but I know for a fact that this many people didn't pass us during the stay.

Either Yamaku is accepting espers that can make themselves invisible, or there's another way into the building than the main hall. The espers idea is probably the safest bet if magic really is involved here.

We come to a stop outside of Kyouko's classroom, 1-2.

"We're here." I say with a light hum, the subtlety probably lost as the morning hubbub and the general excitement for classes to begin washes over the surprisingly large early morning Yamaku crowds.

Rather than just unlink and be on our merry ways, though, Kyouko seems intent on being connected to me if even a bit longer. I don't think much of it, but it might be a little uncanny?

"It got busy when we weren't paying attention." She jokes with a light laugh that I have to match as we make our way precariously through the door. It might be wide to accommodate students with mobility needs, but even still, two girls side-by-side with bags and a case to carry is pushing it.

When I look around, I see that Kyouko wasn't kidding about 1-2 being designed specifically for blind students. There are as many canes to see in here as I remember seeing all of yesterday, and yet not every student here seems to have one in reach. Varying levels of blindness, perhaps? It's probably most convenient this way grouping students like this, though it strikes me as a bit odd considering how hard Yamaku tried to sell the angle of inclusivity. They even accept students without disabilities, after all.

"Yeah," I've completely forgotten to even answer her as we finally unlatch from each other, her with cane, bag, and violin case and me with just a bag.

"Anything else you need, or are you fine from here?" I scratch nervously at the back of my head, the light giggle coming from her making the nerves a little heavier.

"Oh aren't you in a rush to help?" She teases, but the way her head moves side to side suggests pre-emptively what she'll say next. "I apologize oh Prince Charming, but I should be able to handle myself from here."

The way she practically curtsies is just the icing on the cake of haughty ridiculousness, yet it's still too fitting and cute for me to mind. What I do mind is what follows shortly afterward.

"Well, I mean…" I blush, unable to conjure up a response despite how surprisingly aware I am of the situation.

I don't have time to react anyway. Kyouko has closed the short distance between us expertly, as if she has an innate extra sense of how to find another person without bumping into them. I suppose enough practice might help with that? It's just as likely she's being bold and just getting lucky, though.

"I do appreciate it. I'll see you after class, my Prince." Her lashes flutter as she closes her eyes. I notice for the first time that they're long and feminine, unusually attractive. She raises a hand, and manages to find my cheek, which is currently blazing an inferno under my skin.

"O-O-Of course…" I stammer, taking so long that I barely even notice the moment has passed. In a few moments our casual morning exchanges have suddenly taken a turn for the overtly flirtatious. I suppose it's just how Kyouko is, but damn if I don't look a love's fool clutching my bum arm.

It's probably not a big deal as I dash some of the confusion away and start to smile in response. Kyouko hasn't left just yet.

"You're incredibly fun to tease. I wasn't entirely expecting that." Kyouko gives one of her inexplicable winks and leaves me to my own devices.

I don't know what else to really say, but her words have a calming effect even if my cheeks still feel quite hot. While I trudge for the adjacent classroom where I'll be spending a great deal of my next year, I realize why I'm feeling so embarrassed.

I haven't been treated this frankly and teasingly since my accident.

It's a refreshing feeling, and it's enough to get me excited about class. If only I weren't starving…


	9. Chapter 9: Children's March

Chapter 9: Children's March: "Over the Hills and Far Away"

After a morning like that, class is such a relative and unequivocal bore that it's all I can do to not sleep through all of the lessons. I was hoping that the excitement Kyouko had infected me with would help inspire me to pay better attention in class, but alas it seems I'm stuck being a naturally bad student.

Class introductions are the closest thing to exciting that the period has to offer. Our homeroom teacher is Mrs. Nakahara, teaching History and apparently serving as one of the track coaches.

Unfortunately, I'm not sure the two of us will get along too terribly well. Nakahara has singled me out to start classroom introductions, probably because I'm sitting by myself in a back corner of the room. At the very least she doesn't ask me to move closer to the rest of the class, but she could at least be sensitive enough to understand I'm sitting here exactly because I _don't_ want to be picked first.

Standing is easier than it normally was in middle school when chair and desk were the same object, but even still I manage to make a bit of a mess of it. Are these first day nerves?

"I'm Sora Akiyama… Um," I bite my lip, my voice coming out before I can measure or appropriate its purpose. Thankfully, it's behaving itself. "It's a pleasure to meet you all… I-I hope we can get along…" Darn, I completely forgot to so much as think about my class introduction. I thought I didn't care before, but this bumbling is kind of embarrassing.

Thankfully, it's sufficient and I can sit down. While my mind is still occupied, I can at least pay a bit of attention to all of the other students. To my surprise, most of the students in the room look very normal, more so than my impression of Yamaku yesterday. The most notable feature of anybody in the room seems to be a girl proudly wearing a nearly bald head just in front of me.

Of course, this is failing to mention the three students confined to wheelchairs, one of them a boy forced to speak through a computer. It's a morbid thought that I could be in that situation myself instead of the one I'm currently in, but the sobering thought won't exactly dispel all the lingering gloom in my current state of consciousness. It would be nice if it were that simple…

I can barely register all the names of my classmates when introductions have ended and class starts its course. I'm tempted to slam against the desk and lull myself into a comfortable sleep, probably to make up for the fitful rest I had last night, but instead I opt to looking about the room again.

I really am on an island over here, I realize. The class isn't quite filled with students, but I'm definitely the only one without a neighbor to my side. My isolation is eased a bit by students in front of me, but maybe it wouldn't be bad to scoot over a desk after all?

I'm too lazy to consider becoming a disruption though, so I at least decide to focus in on the subjects being written about on the board. History is actually probably one of my preferred subjects, but it's hard to get much into the mood of school today despite all the excitement from it being the first day.

There aren't too many notes to be taking as most of the important subjects are already covered on the papers that Nakahara has already passed out. I settle the majority of my attention on reading these thoroughly rather than pay much mind to what she's saying, but I imagine I'll get the same information regardless of where I focus.

I don't really expect to feel a tap on my shoulder from in front of me. It's the girl whose hair is still recovering from being shaved off.

"Hey, Akiyama right?" She grins, turning to face me. There's a curious clamor in the rest of the classroom starting from her tapping, but it seems to be only chronologically related.

"R-right…" I blink, realizing I'd kind of been zoning out with my head buried in the handout.

"Wanna group up for this? There's an uneven number of us in this class so we can be the group of three." The boy next to her speaks up and I have to start wracking my brain for their names before I can even offer a verbal response. He's one of the three in a wheelchair I'd noticed, his hair a nice, muted blue.

Thankfully, my gentle nod is sufficient to finish the group agreement.

"Everything alright? Isn't it a bit early in the school year to be spacing out?" The girl speaks up again before I've finished fishing around in my head for their names.

"Well, yeah I guess?" I murmur, as my head floods with even more thoughts. When had we decided to break into group work? Why did I forget to eat breakfast on the only day that it would bother me?

"Nothing's wrong, right?" The boy cuts in next, as if they're taking carefully constructed turns to talk to me.

"No, I'm just hungry," I murmur, sighing and leaning back to look at the ceiling with a pencil lodged in my functioning hand. "I guess we went from syllabus to group work right when my brain shut off."

I don't know why this elicits giggles from the two of them, but at the very least it sets the atmosphere at ease when it had been threatening to grow tense. We settle into the work, which is included in the packet we were handed at the start of class.

The assignment is plenty easy enough since all of the material was covered for me last year. I can't help but feel like there's no reason a multiple choice questionnaire should involve group work though. Wouldn't the purpose of an assignment like this be to diagnose any holes in the students' foundations of knowledge?

Given Nakahara is sitting idly away at her desk I imagine it's just her way of getting class out of her hair until the next bell. That thought doesn't sit too well with me, but at least a multiple choice questionnaire is easy enough to fill out with my weak left arm. Having to take minutes to write simple sentences on the first day would be even more embarrassing than my introduction to the class earlier.

Class is over before I've even noticed, and the parts of our packets containing the group quiz are sent up the front. Nakahara stuffs them into her desk before rushing off to her next class with a wink and a spot for the track team. I don't know if it's possible for a classroom to be any less excited about a club endorsement than after that one, but a choice few seem energized by the announcement.

Right behind her is a young, portly man wearing glasses and looking more than a bit unwashed. This one is Onitsuka, and he teaches Japanese, second only to English as my most hated subject. That said, at least English isn't taught every day like this class…

I don't know how it's possible, but he seems even less prepared to teach than Nakahara had been. Like before we get a handout and have to introduce ourselves. In contrast to Nakahara, he asks for the introductions during roll-call, rather than make them an event fitting to start a manga with.

I'm pretty thankful for that, but it's going to be difficult to appreciate him as a teacher when he's teaching a subject I've come to abhor so deeply. The situation would be less dire if I actually enjoyed reading true novels, but even those don't give me something to look forward to here.

Still, it won't pay to completely tune things out. The second round of introductions is enough to tell me who my partners from last period are. The girl is Anja Fujimoto and the boy is Seto Tsukino.

I hadn't noticed until her name, but Anja actually seems to be part foreign. It's very subtle on her face, and she's considerably shorter than I am, so up until that point it had simply been a strange feeling rather than something I picked up on immediately.

It's hard for me to really comment much of anything about names, especially when I think of mine, but at the very least nobody seems to have a particularly difficult one to pronounce. Tsurugimine is probably the worst in the class to get right, and her given name is Aoi, which simplifies the matter.

As expected, Onitsuka's class is even more boring than Nakahara's as he spends the entire time reading from the syllabus and from a book of poetry. I'm sure he's affiliated with a club, but I can't imagine which one it might be. Given his figure, I doubt it's anything athletic.

Still, it seems I'm not alone in being bored. Notes are practically flying around the room every time he isn't looking, and he ignores them on the occasions when he looks up from his glasses.

Not a single one of the passed notes heads my way, which is fine. It does mean I yawn a few more times than necessary throughout the instruction before the lunch bell finally rings.

Honestly, I'm all too thrilled to get to eat. I usually don't mind skipping meals, but today is different for whatever reason. Now that I think about it, it actually has been almost 24 hours since I stuffed anything into my mouth.

"Hey, do you have a lunch Akiyama?" As if on cue, Anja turns to face me, standing up from her desk. Seto is watching our interaction intently.

"No. I was going to go to the cafeteria." I stand up slowly, my legs a bit shaky since I've been sitting for about two hours straight now. Something is bothering me right now but I can't put a finger on it.

"Wanna go together then?" In an unexpected twist, another girl from across the room walks over towards us with a wide grin on her face, her hair tied up into a ponytail. I can't remember her name from the double round of introductions, but amazingly enough she's taller than I am by at least a couple centimeters. That's a first for Yamaku, then.

"Ah, Junko! Glad you could make it." Anja winks while I offer a bare-minimum acknowledgement.

"Of course! You've already met Anja then, huh?" She turns to me as I start to struggle out of my seat. Hunger is starting to be my only driving instinct at this point.

"Yeah… You two know each other?" I stare at them blankly, ignoring the protests of my stomach.

"We've been friends since elementary school." Junko gives a tomboyish wink and grin, and I instantly remember what seemed familiar about her; she was one of the few visibly excited by Nakahara's spot for the track club. Actually, she'd even said something directly to her back then, hadn't she?

"I see. Well, I guess I don't mind company." I nod along, sighing as it seems our quaint group has suddenly gained a much more boisterous member.

"Alright! Onward we go," Junko chuckles, suddenly gathering Anja by her arm, much to the shorter girl's surprise. "Is there anything we shouldn't get while we're down there, Akiyama?"

It takes a moment to register what she's asking, and I simply shake my head as the four of us exit the room.

"Well, I'm allergic to corn, but none of you need to worry about that." I shrug as we mingle into the lunch-time bustle. I chance a look around for my hallmate when I think about it, but she's nowhere to be found right now.

"Oh, please call me Sora." I tack on, finally remembering what had been bothering me throughout this entire set of exchanges. Formality is not a terribly comfortable place for me to be.

"Right." Anja giggles as the two other girls start a conversation among themselves.

I half-expect Seto to start one with me, but it seems he's happy enough being quiet. He doesn't seem all that shy to me, but that might be a biased thing for me to say.

The cafeteria isn't a terribly long commute anyway. I stop straining to hear the conversation as the din of the lunch rush drowns it out entirely. I don't think anybody has much important to say anyway, so I instead focus on the looming Yamaku menu…

"Holy Christ that's a lot to choose from…" I think to myself, eyes going wide and jaw going a little slack. Several boards listing the options dominate the serving area, and each has its own array of allergens listed. Thankfully enough, there doesn't seem to be much with corn here. I'd normally worry they simply aren't listing it, but a quick once-over dissuades this worry. In any case, it's not like eating a little bit will kill me, though I'm hesitant to test this again considering how little I've eaten in the past day.

I decide the tonkatsu is the best thing to build a meal around as the group all goes their separate ways for a few moments to get food. I look around, but almost surprisingly there's absolutely no canned coffee to choose from, so I settle for green tea.

By what I can only assume is a miracle given how unbelievably crowded the cafeteria is, we all manage to rematerialize over the same table with our foodstuffs and take seats. Seto of course simply moves one aside before rolling up to the table on his own power.

To my surprise, the food is better than expected. It's not the best I've ever had of course, but the way the tension in my stomach disappears instantly tells me the food could actually be pretty bad and still do its job of feeding me quite well.

Thanks to my condition, chopsticks are a fleeting dream. Forks and spoons are far more efficient for the plate-to-mouth journey, but there's an elegance to chopsticks that I miss pretty severely.

I must have been eating quickly because the group of friends is looking at me with wide eyes the next time I can chance a look.

"Hungry?" Junko grins, restoring faith in all those who believe in the stereotypical jock girl before taking a bite from her curry.

"Y-yeah," I feel some heat rising in my cheeks and look down at the table when everybody starts to laugh at my expense. "I haven't had anything to eat in almost a day…" Not only that, but just about everything I ate yesterday ended up in the toilet before it was done digesting.

Come to think of it, how _have_ I managed to be as energetic this morning as I have been? It's not as if I've been very energetic, but I should have been absolutely dead leading up to now.

"Well, I'm impressed," Anja giggles playfully, her own food barely touched. "I didn't guess you'd be able to out-eat Junko here."

"Hey! Just for that I'm taking your eggs!" Junko frowns at her friend, and this time everybody gets a laugh out of it. Strangely, I get the feeling she prides herself on being a big and fast eater.

"Oh fine." Anja sighs, prompting an instant, precise strike from the tall jock that robs her bowl of some of the aforementioned egg.

"I really don't normally eat this fast…" I sigh, conceding defeat for fear that I'll be forced into some kind of competition with an athlete over who can eat the most the fastest. There's absolutely no way in Hell I'm going to compete in the same league in that contest.

"Well, it's good you're eating." Seto chimes in with a fairly innocent smile, more focused on his soup than his words.

I simply nod to him, letting my eyes wander around the cafeteria. I remember Kyouko hadn't packed a lunch, so it's surprising that I still can't find her in the crowd. Then again, with so many green jackets to sort, it's hardly surprising I can't make out her petite form.

At some point the issue of clubs comes up again. Seto is interested in the Book Club, while Anja would be interested in something with home applications. Junko is obviously interested in track, but then she also mentions baseball without any sort of hesitation.

"You can join more than one club?" I cut in, only a few bites of pork left over on my plate by this point.

"Yeah! Clubs aren't really officially joined here anyway," Junko says in between stealing more egg from Anja's bowl. "What are you thinking about doing, Sora?"

Ah, I should have guessed it would get to me here.

"Um… Well, I doubt there's anything I want to join, actually." I frown, but to my surprise I just get nods of acknowledgement and understanding from my classmates.

"Clubs aren't mandatory either, but you can always change your mind later." Anja nods, finishing her drink and standing up to discard it, leaving her meal to be taken apart by her childhood friend.

We'll have to see about that, I suppose. I chance another look around while she's gone to see if I can find Kyouko, but it seems that she made other lunch plans today after all.

It's not too disappointing, though. These three seem just as likely as her to be good friends in the coming year.


	10. Chapter 10: Piano Concerto No 4

Chapter 10: Piano Concerto No. 4 in B-flat Major

"You sure you don't want to come by?" Anja turns idly towards me when there's a break in our Physics lecture.

"Where again?" I narrow my eyes to try and remember exactly what it was we had been talking about. The tonkatsu had been a huge help with my concentration, but I'm still just a bad student at heart.

"It's a place in town, the Shanghai. It's a cute little tea shop that Junko likes to go to on occasion."

I was at least able to learn that Junko and Anja are both Sendai natives during lunch. I haven't asked exactly, but it seems likely Junko might be one of the students here that has no disability.

"I shouldn't be doing this kind of runabout thinking." I remind myself mentally before answering Anja.

"If it's after clubs then it should be fine. I'm helping my hallmate get around after class." I nod along to myself, figuring we'd have to wait anyway for Junko. She did express interest in two different clubs after all.

"Sounds like a plan! I'll let Junko know." She smiles before casually slipping out her cell phone, completely unfazed by the fact we're still in the middle of a lesson. Still, I can hardly blame her since she never gets caught. Her powers of deflection are pretty impressive.

So I seem to have some plans for dinner then. The final bell for class tolls a short time later, dismissing us to our own devices. I can go ahead and say my first day wasn't an utter disaster.

I probably shouldn't relax into my chair when I have somebody to fetch from the next room, but the atmosphere of generalized exhaustion I sense is hurting my motivation. It ends up being useless to think too closely about as Kyouko pops her head into the room a few minutes after class' end.

Ah, I should probably stand up so she doesn't have to call all the way to the back of the–

"Is Sora Akiyama here?" She calls out, her voice quiet but carrying pretty well.

"Room…" I finish the thought with a sigh.

Well, I suppose a bit of momentary embarrassment is my punishment for being lazy.

"I'm here. Just a sec." I smile to try and match hers, though I can't dream to give it the same playful quality.

Getting up from the desk is a bit of a struggle again, and I have to wonder if my leg is starting to regress. The doctors had all said it made a full recovery, but they're not the ones using it on a daily basis. It isn't limited in range of motion, but it just doesn't respond the way my left does.

Thankfully, Kyouko doesn't seem interested in drawing further attention to us, meaning I'm able to take a spot by her side without any further conversation.

"We're going to the Performing Arts Center, right?" Wow, Sora. You actually managed to remember.

"Right, in the auxiliary building." She confirms before we resume the same precarious but effective position from the morning. Surely enough, this arrangement is getting more comfortable through repetition.

Finding the Center is actually pretty easy. The auxiliary building is divided into very clear wings in a way that the main building isn't, and the Performing Arts Center is housed in the second closest wing. The crowd of students is a lot thicker here than I might have expected, but it does make sense considering how many must be checking out clubs.

I suppose I'm doing that myself, intentionally or not.

"How was your first day?" Kyouko breaks the raucous silence between us once we cross the threshold to the outside. The temperature has risen to a much more comfortable level by now.

"It could've been worse." I admit with a sigh, looking around the grounds at the crowds of students.

It really must be the entirety of Yamaku out and about right now. Green and white expanses as far as the eye can see… Which isn't terribly far given how the inner yards are enclosed by buildings. It sounds poetic when I think like that though, and life is more fun when it's a little poetic.

"Well, it's only the first day after all. Nobody wants to pile on too much work just yet."

"I guess so… That just means they're going to go wild tomorrow." I groan at the thought of it, but it's not an entirely unpleasant thought. It's nice being back into the swing of school, strangely enough.

Our conversation slows as the sonic landscape changes when we cross over into the auxiliary building. It's still quite loud, louder even, but the gaggles of students have reduced tremendously in size already. There are a few helpful signs pointing out the various landmarks inside the building, and it's quite fortunate that the Performing Arts Center seems to be confined to the first floor. I still don't want to imagine navigating stairs with us holding each other and our bags.

The sound of instruments warming up is starting to carry into the hall the closer we get, and before long we've arrived at the door to the music room. I stop outside, which seems to suit Kyouko just fine as she unlinks from me and starts prodding her cane along the cane in search of direction.

"You mind staying out here for a moment?" Kyouko turns to me, deftly pivoting on her heel.

"Hmm? What for?" I raise a brow curiously. I would have thought she wanted me to go in with her so I could hear her play, but now she wants me to stay outside the room? For that matter, she seems to have gained confidence in her navigational skills that had been lacking before.

"Well, Mrs. Sakamoto can be a bit pushy towards recruitment," She admits with a light blush, though I don't comprehend why that would be a problem for a moment. "That and I'd rather you hear me _after_ I warm up."

"She's welcome to try," I sigh after some pause, chuckling at the surprising display of embarrassment. "If she thinks somebody with only one arm can learn an instrument for the first time…"

The smile I get in response seems like it ought to lead somewhere, but Kyouko leaves me hanging there, turning to enter the room with her bags and cases in tow.

"Just don't run away. I promise it'll be worth your while." She gives a nod without angling towards me in too extreme a manner.

"Right…" I murmur without being heard, a bit exasperated now that I think about it. To be fair to her, this arrangement probably fits just fine into my evening plans, and I was going to invite her along in any case.

Still, I can't shake this sinking suspicion that Kyouko is planning something.

"Akiyama?"

I'm suddenly shocked from my stupor by an unexpected, yet vaguely familiar voice. The clamor of the hall is a bit too intense for me to make out a direction very quickly, so it's a little relieving that the owner of the voice cuts in front of my vision.

It's relieving for all of a moment, at least.

"Ah, it really is you isn't it? Sora Akiyama!" The girl smiles as she recognizes me, her grey eyes sparkling. My heart starts to sink as I remember who this is. It's really been three whole years, hasn't it?

"Senpai?" I mouth dryly, surprised even a little bit of sound comes forth.

"You do remember me! I didn't know you'd be enrolling here at Yamaku!" The girl bristles suddenly with a nostalgic energy. It would be a pleasant thing to be infected with if it didn't come with the added need to spill my guts all over the pristine floors.

"I had no idea you'd be here either…" I stare blankly, trying to find something I could focus on to fight the slow growling in my stomach. Thankfully, it seems my head is behaving itself today, and the nightmarish memories don't flood back just yet.

"Well, I guess I hadn't expected it either. I was enrolling at a prep school near Tokyo the last time we talked…" She continues on, trailing off in the way a person only can when uncomfortable circumstances are involved. I let a nervous swallow as my curiosity gets the better of me.

"What changed..?" I mouth again, lowering my gaze a bit in expectation of something tragic. My thoughts are already cynically lined up to prove my situation is worse, and I want to scold myself for thinking again.

"Oh, it wasn't anything to be worried about! I'm fine it's just… Well," She blushes again and laughs nervously. "I might have gotten into an altercation that got me expelled…"

Okay, that's unexpected. In fact, I'm going to have to pick up my jaw from the floor. How did Sakurako Yukimura, the president of the Art Club my first year of middle school and one of the nicest girls I've ever met, get pushed into doing something that got her expelled from a Tokyo prep school? And for that matter, how did that cause her to end up here of all places?

"U-uh huh…" I simply mutter dumbly, not able to offer up any of these questions, though I'm sure they're written all over my face.

"I'm sorry, I went and talked about it and now I'd rather not get in too deep…" She looked away a bit sadly, telling me all I need to know at this point.

"No, it's fine, Senpai. I just… Well, I never thought I'd see you ever again." I look at her, trying to mix in some joy at the reunion. The sad truth though is that her presence doesn't bode well for my piece of mind. The only reason I haven't run for a bathroom by now is that she'd already graduated by the time of my fateful exhibition…

Dammit, stop thinking about it already, Sora. I don't even know where there might be a bathroom in this building, and the way I'm devolving means I really will make a mess here.

"A-are you alright? Should I grab the Nurse?" Yukimura frowns, leaning forward to touch gingerly at my temple. She's not taller than me anymore, though she was only barely so during our single year together in middle school.

"I'll be fine," I wave off her concern, perhaps a bit hastily, before taking deep, controlled breaths to rein myself in. I rub the bridge of my nose for a moment, relieving a good deal of the built-up tension. "But still, I wasn't expecting to see you here, Senpai, and certainly not next to the music room."

"Well, I was actually coming by to grab some of the stencils they keep here, since the Art Club doesn't need them often and they help tie the music room together. Kind of a mutual agreement between the clubs," She starts on with a gentle smile, before blinking suddenly. "Say, come to think of it, you were thinking of joining the Music Club, Sora? I didn't think you played any instruments."

That actually hurts, Senpai. Surely they're taking singers too? I'm not that bad a vocalist, right? Why am I going onto the defensive here?

"Well, I wasn't really looking to join," I start, but instantly regret it realizing what Yukimura just mentioned. She's in the Art Club, like she had been in middle school. It's too late to back out of the sentence I started, though. "I was just helping a friend here…"

"Well, why not check out the Art Club later? We're always looking for new members, and you were… Sora?" She cuts in as my voice trails off, only to have her train of thought derailed by the ashen expression spreading across my cheeks.

"I um… I'd rather not talk about it…" I speak through a series of uncomfortable belches, praying none of them escalate into something worse. Thankfully, the reliving never comes back into play.

"Ah, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to prod," Yukimura frowns before putting a hand on my shoulder, rubbing gently. "Are you sure you don't need the Nurse?" The gesture is appreciated, Senpai.

"I'll be fine," I offer a shaky smile, but start to feel better as a result. Yukimura seems to be convinced too. "We can catch up later, if that's fine?" I consider extending an invitation to that tea shop Anja mentioned, but I figure it's probably not my place to do so.

"There's no need to rush! Well, there's a need for me to rush. I'll catch you later, Sora!"

With that, she rushes inside, the club members still warming up. They seem unfazed, meaning this is probably a common occurrence for this room, and Yukimura returns with a few large metal notes, rests, and other musical symbols I only tangentially recognize. Each is splattered with paint in varying amounts.

"I'll see you then, Senpai." I smile, already feeling a lot better by now.

"Right!" She calls, rushing past me without much extra fanfare, ending our engagement peacefully. Groaning, I settle back against the wall, the task of occupying myself for some unknown amount of time setting on my mind. I don't expect to hear my name again.

"Still here, Sora?" It's Kyouko this time, a smile on her face. She's resting against the outer frame of the door, enough out of the way so as not to impede students entering or leaving the room.

"Yeah…" I murmur, the sense of foreboding from before returning with a vengeance.

"Well, if you'd like, you can come in and observe now," She smiles, her fingers clasped together as she evenly and rhythmically stretches and cracks them. "Or if you'd prefer, you can come by later. We'll be ending at around 4:30 today."

"It sounds tempting," I offer, but stand up anyway, brushing imaginary dust off my lap. "But I think I'll stay here. I wanted to hear you play, didn't I?" Truth be told, I just want to avoid another bout of club recruitment. I think I'll be able to handle whatever this Sakamoto has to throw my way.

"Sounds fine to me!" Kyouko smiles and starts back into the room, her cane tapping rhythmically as I follow tentatively. There are a few wayward looks, but nobody seems all that bothered. In fact, it seems as if a good number of the students here are first-years without an instrument like me.

Ah, damn. I really did just walk right into this one.

Sakamoto isn't hard to pick out given she's the only one here that isn't a teenager, and that's by quite a margin. That said she doesn't exactly look old discounting her salt-and-pepper hair color. It's clear she's a generation beyond that of my core class teachers though, easily having 20 years over Nakahara.

There's an authoritarian quality to her stance, but she speaks gently enough when she begins addressing us prospects.

"This is a good number! I haven't seen this many new faces on the first day of one of my Music Clubs in some time," She nods along to herself, her voice sickeningly sweet and effective. "How many of you have played an instrument before?"

Unsurprisingly, I'm one of the only people not to raise my hand. Honestly, even if I could I'd be mismatched since everybody else raised their _right_ hand.

Sakamoto nods along to this information. She seems like she's about to enter deep thought, so it's surprising when she instead immediately goes down the line asking what instruments each kid plays. Her semi-glare is sufficient to ward off joke instruments, of which I'm sure there are plenty.

I'm starting to really doubt I belong here at all. I can at least recognize most of the instruments my peers are listing, but some of them sound like they're completely made-up. Timpani? Euphowhat? Isn't that word a homophobic slur in English?

For now, those of us who don't play anything are let off the hook as Sakamoto invites those with instruments to join in with the rehearsal. Everybody who plays and doesn't have their own instrument will have to meet after class in order to figure out how to apportion Yamaku's limited stock of school-owned equipment.

I'm at least able to figure out now what some of the mystery instruments were as students take new seats in the ensemble. The timpani is a kind of drum, or rather a set of drums made of what looks like copper. The bassoon is a long, straight rod made of wood held at an angle. Not a single thing I see looks possible to play without at least two hands…

"Now then, does everybody have a chorale book?" Sakamoto steps up to the podium with that same infectious smile on her face. There are a few raised hands, which promptly receive the mentioned books. "Now then, let's go ahead and look at number five then…"

I might have come to watch and hear my hallmate play, but right now my eyes are fixed on Mrs. Sakamoto. She raises her arms calmly, a plain white stick in her right hand as the orchestra slowly comes together, ready to do her bidding…

Time seems to pause for a few moments, but Sakamoto's arm continues downward. There's a lift in the air, a great, all-encompassing sound that nevertheless manages to be quieter than a whisper. I don't have time to comprehend exactly what it is before the room suddenly erupts with the sound of the orchestra, focused and far less boisterous than my reaction belies.

The mysticism doesn't last long as the orchestra's sound catches on everybody's ears. A couple of faces in the group are cringing slightly at certain points, including Kyouko and another girl on violin, a third-year with blonde hair. Even I can tell it's not immaculate, but it's better than I'd ever expect to hear from a ragtag group of high schoolers playing together for the first time.

The short little song comes to an end with a light lift of Sakamoto's fingers. The greying conductor closes her eyes for a moment as the orchestra equally contemplates its performance.

"Alright. That was rather good!" She exclaims rather joyfully, setting the accumulated nerves of everybody in the room at ease, including my own.

Sakamoto isn't interested in simply letting her compliments float in the air though as she turns her attention towards the "brass section," complimenting their "balance" but encouraging them to "play out." I don't know what to make of it at all, and I don't have much time to comprehend it. In any case, Sakamoto raises her arms again, baton at the ready as she conducts only those in the group she was talking to. The air of her approach doesn't seem much different, maybe livelier…

I didn't think it sounded badly before, but suddenly these instruments on their own sounded absolutely stellar where before they were almost a weakness in the sound.

The rehearsal I watch is full of these moments, and I can't help being captivated. It seems like almost no mistake goes unaddressed by Sakamoto, but I never get the sensation that my peers in the ensemble are tiring of the feedback.

So much happens that it hardly feels like only fifteen minutes have passed, all spent on the same two, very similar but captivatingly beautiful songs. I have a feeling Sakamoto could continue on for hours at this rate, but she nevertheless cuts the orchestra off a final time, addressing the room as a whole.

"Well then! I think I have an idea about how best to divide up our sections. Enomoto, Souma, could you please pass around the student profile sheets?" Sakamoto smiles, the blonde-haired girl sitting next to Kyouko and the brunette at the piano both standing up. There's an eagerness in both of their faces as they start around the room, but Sakamoto isn't done talking.

"That just leaves this group, hmm?" She smiles to those of us who said they've never played an instrument before. In total, we number five. Everybody else has managed to migrate behind me without my noticing, and now it's clear that I'll be the first target of her attentions.

"What's your name, dear?" Sakamoto's smile is infuriatingly calming. Even still, I'm starting to sweat bullets as I feel eyes pierce curiously into my back. At the least, she doesn't seem a cruel type of person.

"A-Akiyama… Sora Akiyama…" I murmur quietly, trying to keep to keep still.

There's a sudden lighting up on Sakamoto's face, and I'm all too aware what it means. Damn it, Kyouko, you really were conspiring back then, weren't you?

"Miss Akiyama hmm?" She starts to look over me at strange angles, appraising me in an objective but still highly discomfiting manner. Without any better ideas, I just sit and blush, frozen to my spot. It doesn't take her much longer to nod and end her analysis. Then the conclusion is?

"I have something I'd like to show you, if you don't mind waiting a moment." She smiles brightly, eyes closed very effectively as she moves on to my other peers. Their whispering halts immediately once the attention has been stolen from me, and I breathe with relief.

The respite will only be temporary, though. I should run now, but why don't I? There's some kind of gross, inevitable familiarity about this situation though, and it's making me a bit queasy.

Behind me, Sakamoto is giving more traditional introductory interviews to the other four. Though I'm curious, I'm too mortified by being singled out to turn and watch the process. I overhear a few instruments I recognize, and even one of the instruments I'd just figured out existed, but I can't shake the sensation sinking down my gut.

The rest of the Music Club members seem to be packing up while Enomoto and Souma try furiously to keep the papers flowing between them. It's organized chaos, and following seems to be helping in settling my stomach.

"Now then, would you come with me, Miss Akiyama?" I'm shocked from my stupor by the intrusion of Sakamoto's calm voice.

"Y-yeah?" I bite my lip, turning to face her as my heart tries to bound out of my chest.

"Care to come with me to the piano?" Again with the one-two sugary voice and closed eyes!

I give a simpleminded nod, letting myself stand up a bit awkwardly. The Club is starting to clear up now, but they haven't been dismissed yet.

"Until tomorrow then! I hope you've all had a wonderful first day!" Sakamoto speaks up over the raucous crowd, creating a silence before the group nods in acknowledgement. A number of first-years automatically utter "Thank you," but it seems this common courtesy isn't expected around here.

I follow her the rest of the way to the piano, my heart starting to pound furiously. My cheeks were alight before being singled out, but now that I've been drawn even further away, the mortification is all the worse. Unexpectedly, Sakamoto seats me at the piano standing behind me carefully.

"Mrs. Sakamoto," I murmur quietly, looking around the room. Kyouko is standing on the other end of the piano, the lid lowered and serving as a table for a number of papers. I can't let this continue. "I uh… Appreciate the offer but, how could I… U-uh?"

I bite my lip as Sakamoto ignores my protests, grabbing my left wrist and bringing my hand to the keyboard. I feel the hard resistance of the ivory on my fingers, but I don't press down.

"Yes, that tells me plenty." Sakamoto hums cheerfully, and then removes my hand almost as swiftly as when she'd first grabbed and forced it onto the manual.

"W-what are you talking about?" At this point I'm too confused to offer anything but questions. What did she just find out about me? Why is she doing this in the first place? I need to run…

"Now then. You're worried you can't play piano with only one hand, right?" Sakamoto's voice catches my ear, sending a shiver down my spine. She's not close to my ears at all, but I can't shake the sensation that she whispered this within millimeters of them.

With no choice, I nod dumbly again. I suppose it's obvious after some time that my right arm is paralyzed, but I doubt Sakamoto would have come up with this plan without some forewarning.

I suppose patient confidentiality means little to friends, though. Really, I told Kyouko myself what was wrong with me yesterday after all.

"Let me show you something." She smiles, joining me on the bench and forcing me to the left a bit. Rather, it's more like I let her presence push me towards the left edge.

I simply nod, unsure of what the hell she's doing here. There's nothing to do except watch as her fingers come into contact with the ivories…

The fingers of her left hand only.

* * *

UPDATE: I'm back to the previous chapter count! After Chapter 11, a few things will be rehashed, hopefully in a more believable format, but this should only take a couple of chapters before it gets back to new content. Thanks so much for reading so far!


	11. Chapter 11: Orient et Occident

Chapter 11: Orient et Occident

There's a leap in my chest as recognition sets in. I'm witnessing a recruitment spot tailor-made to me. I have to give Kyouko and Mrs. Sakamoto some props; this _is_ pretty clever of them.

The melody that comes out of the instrument is strange, clearly lyrical, but quick and not seeming to meet any kind of mental expectation. It sounds almost like random noise at times, actually. Yet as Mrs. Sakamoto plays on, I can't help but look on in bewilderment at the kind of dexterity she's able to display with her left hand alone.

Not only that, but the other students gathered around the piano are humming along to it. Not a single one of them is humming the exact same thing either, yet it all fits together, I feel. I've barely had any time to comprehend the scene before it ends suddenly with a light flourish, Mrs. Sakamoto turning to me with a devilish grin on her face.

There's no damn way.

"Nobody told you there was an entire concerto for the left hand, did they?" Mrs. Sakamoto smirks, standing back up to her previous position and looking down at me.

"N-no…" I murmur, drawing bemused giggles from the other girls. It would be wonderful to catch a break right now, but I suppose my embarrassed reactions are entertaining enough to watch.

"That one was written for an Austrian pianist who lost his arm in World War I," Mrs. Sakamoto continues before adding on even more. "In fact, his teacher was blind himself, come to think of it."

This gets a surprised look out of the rest of the group, Kyouko the most of all. I'm hardly surprised she'd be familiar with a piece like this, but it seems even she has a limit to what she knows about it, that or…

"Y-you're not making that up?" I cut in, rubbing my right arm nervously to dispel the growing sense of wonder in the room left behind by the impromptu solo piano performance meant to convince me to join the music club.

"Of course not, Miss Akiyama!" Mrs. Sakamoto chuckles along, bringing that sensation back instantly before hurrying about to the other side of the piano to drop its lid. "I wouldn't outright lie to a prospective student. Especially not one that one of my newest pupils is so insistent on getting to join."

The blush that pops up on Kyouko's cheeks at this makes me smirk a bit. Betrayed by her own music club instructor, eh? It's nice to get back at her, even if it's only tangentially thanks to Mrs. Sakamoto, but something about this still isn't sitting quite right with me.

"You think I could play something that difficult?" I bite my lip, looking at the unexpectedly fantastic pianist nervously. She's awfully confident the ploy will work if she's pulling out such a difficult showpiece that could just as well scare somebody inexperienced away. Credit has to be given where it's due though. The performance was impressive to the point of being inspiring, not terrifying.

"It would take a lot of practice. But I was a beginner once. Everybody was," Mrs. Sakamoto smiles, putting hands on my shoulders and looking closely at me. She's absurdly talented at recruitment in addition to piano, it seems. "What do you say?"

My only response for a while is a nervous swallow. Too many thoughts are going through my head for any single one to pop up and spurt out of my mouth. I look around the room, at the pictures of scary old men, at the various instruments laying around, then at Kyouko.

She's approximating my gaze again, in that same scarily accurate way she always does.

"I can try…" I finally cave.

I almost yelp in surprise when my left arm is lifted suddenly in triumph by the girl with green eyes. The grab prompts a throb of pain through my cranium, but I brush it off when I'm let go.

"Safe! We have another recruit then!" She giggles, prompting the rest of the group to giggle, and Kyouko to blush a bit, leaving her post at the end of the piano temporarily to head my way.

"I should get going, ladies," Mrs. Sakamoto checks her watch suddenly, before heading for the door, calling to us once more from there. "We'll be meeting again the same time tomorrow!"

"Thank you Mrs. Sakamoto! See you tomorrow!" The rest of the small group chimes in, bright smiles on all of their faces. I can't help but be infected by their collective mood myself, nodding along with an embarrassed grin of my own.

With that she departs without much extra fanfare, and I'm left with Kyouko and the other two girls, both of them third-years. My nerves are starting to settle a bit by now, and I'm even feeling a bit thankful now that I've had a chance to breathe again. I'll be in a club after all, eh?

"Well then, I'd say Mrs. Sakamoto has really outdone herself this time." Kyouko smiles as she settles at the edge of the piano, the other girl with a cane, Enomoto, trailing behind her a step. There's a lighthearted giggle between the four of us as I nod along.

"And here I was thinking it was _your_ masterplan, Kyouko." I sigh, though I simply get a shrug in response.

"Well, it might have been my idea to recruit you," She teases, rolling her head to the side back and forth for a few moments. "But she kind of took on a life of her own when I mentioned your hands."

There's a light, extremely playful smirk on her face that's restoring my previous nerves.

"What about my hands?" I blink, looking down at my left to try and figure out exactly what she's getting at. If I could, I'd raise my right as well, but sadly no miracles are happening today.

Suddenly, the hand I'm looking at is grabbed, and I nearly fall over in surprise. I'm pretty sure my sudden shriek isn't exactly appreciated by Kyouko, but I don't notice her reaction. I'm too focused on the girl who grabbed my hand, Souma.

"They're huge is what!" She chuckles, holding my singular hand and cupping it between both of hers. It's a little strange they're referring to hands in the plural here when only one of the pair is functional for me, but I don't see any reason to complain about it.

Still, I'm blushing pretty heavily again. This group is never going to relent when it comes to embarrassing me to a different dimension is it?

"T-they're not _that_ big…" I murmur, but bite my lip as I realize that Souma might actually have a point. She was the one playing piano before during the rehearsal, yet my hand completely dwarfs hers. It's not to the point where they're comically oversized, but I'm suddenly very self-conscious about them.

"They're certainly bigger than Chisato's, though," Enomoto speaks next, suddenly very close to me herself as she points directly to the size comparison. "Never thought I'd see the day."

"Hey!" Now it seems like it's Souma's turn to be ribbed on, but the chance to laugh is lost on me. Two of my seniors are very close, both touching me in fact, and they're both making light of a feature of mine I'd never noticed before on my own. Now it's all I _can_ notice.

"Senpai, you're going to scare her off if you keep that up." Kyouko murmurs, a bit of a low edge to her voice that gets both of them to detach from me. Unfortunately, it seems like my hallmate has made herself their new target for lighthearted harassment.

"Oh of course! Wouldn't want your _girlfriend_ thinking badly about us!" Chisato's grin is deviously playful and I'm relieved I don't have a drink in my hand. I'd hate to get spit all over the piano.

" _Hallmate_." Kyouko retaliates, cool as ice even through grit teeth. Her calm reaction is reassuring, but it still serves to make me feel bad about mine.

"Oh don't try to deny it, Kyoucchan~," Enomoto is the next one to speak, her voice laced with overtly-cutesy tones. "You can't hide that you were _all over_ Soracchi~ here this morning in the main hall!"

Wait, I've got a diabetes-inducing nickname now too?

"Oh yeah, we saw _everything_." Souma interjects, the two older girls giving a high-five around waist level (a low-five?) before turning back to appreciate our reactions.

It seems Enomoto is the craftier Senpai when it comes to Kyouko because my hallmate's previously plain cheeks have fired up to an intense red. I'm not sure exactly what part did her in, but I'd be surprised if even _I'm_ blushing as hard as she is.

"You guys are fucking jerks," Kyouko groans, covering her face and then, to my surprise, smiling a bit through her unexpectedly bright blush. "I guess I'll just ask one of you to be my 'girlfriend' tomorrow instead."

Huh, that was a surprisingly deft reversal there. Alas, the two jokester seniors aren't that easily affected.

"Hmm, it's a tempting offer," Enomoto smirks, stepping towards Kyouko. My eyes wander to her cane and how it differs from Kyouko's. Though her cane is clearly for support, she seems not to rely on it much at all. "But I think I'll pass this time. You'd probably get bored at the pool anyway."

"Yeah, you're not wrong there." Kyouko sighs, laughing softly to herself. It has a nice lifting effect on the four of us, and the tense atmosphere of teasing takes its temporary leave once again.

I'm not really sure what to make of everything I've just witness, but it's clear that Kyouko has known these two for quite some time. I'll have to ask about it later, but for now there's the issue of post-class plans to handle.

"Alright, that's enough play you guys," I'm shocked from my thoughts when Souma decides to execute a tackling hug on me. For once I'm thankful for my stature because it's probably all that's kept my shorter Senpai from toppling me over. "We should go celebrate Sora's drafting into the Music Club!" Oh Thank God that obnoxiously cute nickname isn't sticking around.

"Leave it to Chisato to think of excuses to go out," Enomoto chuckles, turning away from Kyouko to restore our group to the vague square it had been in. "I guess we have to decide where, though."

"We could always do the Shanghai!" Chisato hums delightedly, but immediately gets a less than savory look from her blonde comrade. Wait, that name is familiar.

"On the first night of school? I knew you were crazy, girl, but not that crazy," Enomoto laughs, sighing and turning to the two of us for a moment. "You know the Shanghai, Sora?"

"Well, my classmates were actually looking to go there after club activities and invited me," I murmur, seeing no reason to be opaque here. "But it sounds kind of popular right now…" This said to emphasize that I'm not a fan of that condition.

"See? And that's just Sora's friends we know about. As much as I like the place, it's dreadful when it's over-crowded." Enomoto hums and Souma nods reluctantly in agreement.

"I guess you have a point. I'd hate to swamp Yuuko even worse. Say, Sora!" She turns to me, closing the small gap again and grabbing my hand again. The amount of casual contact I've been pushed into since I got here is nothing short of remarkable, but I suppose I don't mind it. "Maybe we could convince your friends to come along with us and find someplace else?"

I blink as I stare back at her before looking to the other two to see if there's an answer hidden somewhere in their faces. Their expectant appearances seem telling enough, but…

"I think we could try," I murmur, looking away nervously as Souma continues to hold up my hand. "I got the impression that Junko was set on the Shanghai but… Well, she and Anja are both from the area."

"Ah, they might know some good alternatives then! Although, the town isn't _that_ terribly big." Souma sighs for a moment, the atmosphere dampening when my hallmate does something curious. After a second of introspection, she produces a cellphone and presses it to her ear after a quick button press.

"Uncle Eric." She speaks into it a moment later as the rest of stare, a bit dumbfounded. There's a flash of recognition as she starts to talk. Unfortunately, it's followed by pity as a voice loud enough to be heard from meters away comes from the phone's speaker. That said, all I can make out for certain from the other end is Kyouko's name. Poor girl was expecting it and still looks a bit shaken.

"Yes, it's been fine, nothing's really happened… Yes, she's right here, actually…" Kyouko's face goes through so many different emotions in a few minutes that everybody can't help standing around silently to watch. This is in spite of how inherently annoying half-conversations are.

"You can? There are going to be," Kyouko pushes the receiver away from her mouth, calling in my direction. "How many of your friends was it, Sora?"

"Three…" I answer automatically, blinking at the suddenness. Kyouko relays the answer.

Ah, I should probably mention one of them is in a wheelchair though…

"Alright, we'll worry about anything unforeseen later… No, maybe later. Let me hang out with friends first why don't you?" Kyouko laughs a bit, setting the atmosphere back at ease. I hadn't even realized before her laughing that it was so surprisingly tense here.

She closes up her phone with a loud sigh, the rest of us looking on expectantly.

"Well?" Souma is the first one unable to hold her tongue, unsurprisingly.

"He's bringing the accessible van. We should go find your friends and see if they're actually okay with this, Sora." Kyouko turns towards where I had been, several feet away from my current position. I didn't notice that either. I'm starting to wonder if I'm really in control of myself right now…

"Right," I nod nervously, the phonation giving Kyouko a better reference for my position. "Um… I'm not sure exactly where to find them all. Junko's probably at the track."

"Let's start there! Is everybody ready to go?" Enomoto smiles, her cane tapping against the ground to add some emphasis to her point.

The three of us give some variation of an affirmative, the light rustle of our bags filling the room before we're all ready to start off. I take up my spot next to Kyouko, even when Enomoto offers to take care of it for me. I'm still getting used to this, so there's no use turning down another chance to get acclimated.

"Alright then, to the track!" Souma grins, punching an arm forward triumphantly, heralding the departure of the four of us from the Music Club room.

I'm not sure where exactly we'll end up, but it all seems like it'll be fine.


	12. Chapter 12: Bydlo

Chapter 12: Bydlo

A loud ringing buzzes in my ears and nearly shocks me upright. My eyes dart open, but even so all I can comprehend is utter darkness.

The detail of my room in the morning comes into focus moments later, but something is keeping me from turning toward my alarm clock to stop its incessant sounding. There's a heavy weight in my shoulders and in my stomach, and I feel like I can barely move my arms…

Oh, that's right. It's normal not to be able to move the right. The left is the more concerning conundrum, but I don't have a chance to contemplate the reason before a spike of pain courses through me, centered just below the navel. Even though it stings my muscles, I bolt upright from the shock, gasping as my nerves fire anxious warnings elsewhere into my body in response.

It's all I can do not to scream, but the personal hell I've been thrust into is ended just as quickly as it's begun. I bite my lip hard, panting as I try to regain control of myself and an appreciation for my surroundings.

I'm in my room, sitting up in bed, wearing a plain tank and shorts. My body is absolutely drenched in sweat, and there's a dull throbbing in my center that didn't go away when my nerve endings went back to behaving themselves.

"Period soon…" I groan to myself in defeated recognition.

A quick inspection confirms I haven't started bleeding yet, but the red is going to start flowing fairly soon. At the very least, this answers the question I'd had last night wondering why I was starting to feel so sore. Here I was thinking I couldn't get blindsided by cramps anymore…

"Ah…" I suddenly belch, holding myself in as memories of the day and night prior rush to my head. Not a single one of them was unhappy or anything, but the flow of thought is too intense…

I bolt out of bed, ignoring the protesting of my limbs that are still sore from walking a bit more than they were used to in a day. I must be making some unearthly clamor, but I don't care at this point as I push the door to my dorm open and rush for the bathroom.

A few minutes later, I've avoided an unfortunate spew from the opposite end as I woke up worried about, and my stomach feels extraordinarily empty again. A quick chaser of water helps dispel the sticky bitterness that clings to my throat, but it takes a few more repetitions to cleanse it completely.

"Sora?" My name is called suddenly, and I nearly jump out of my skin in response.

"Ah, Kyouko," I murmur under my breath, sounding far more bitter than I'd intended. "You surprised me there… Um…" I don't know exactly what to say here, actually. The thoughts of our night out with our new group of friends are too distracting to allow me to concentrate.

"Everything's alright?" Her voice cracks a bit and she seems as surprised by it as I am. At the very least it's comforting that I'm not alone in speaking in a way I don't intend to.

"Things are fine… Just woke up too suddenly and well…" I look down in embarrassment, my toes curling against the cold bathroom tiles. The rest of the sentence is something along the lines of "I'm just so used to throwing up that it happened automatically," I know too well.

For her part, my hallmate looks concerned, but there's a hesitation in her voice as she continues.

"Should we call the Nurse..?" She doesn't seem to know exactly what to say here, but I'm also starting to pick up that she might not be all herself this morning either. Kyouko looks remarkably pale.

"That won't be necessary… It's just morning s–," Rethink that phrasing right now you blithering imbecile. "It happens sometimes I guess. I'm also starting my period today so…" I scratch my cheek nervously, trying to laugh it off. Truthfully, I've already calmed down a bit, but the cramps sure aren't relenting.

Kyouko's eyes go a bit wide, but it's more as if she has more questions to ask now than understanding of my answers. She doesn't pursue it, closing them again and nodding solemnly.

"I guess that time of month gets all of us in different ways," She says slowly, almost like she's trying to reassure herself of something. "You're not just telling me something I want to hear?"

The frown on her face is a powerful guilt-tripping device, but I'm only being partially dishonest here.

"Not at all. It's just been an exciting first couple of days and my stomach is just naturally weak…" I murmur, though it hurts a bit to admit it aloud. That said, even though it hurts, it's a little refreshing to be getting it off my chest.

She nods, and I start feeling bad again, stepping past her and giving her a pat on the shoulder. It's supposed to be reassuring, but my current thoughts force it to be unconvincing.

"I'll be back out soon. Have a good shower." I give a smile, but there's no need for anything but a nod from my hallmate in order for me to be dismissed.

I look at myself in the mirror again, looking an absolute mess. Even my hair has surpassed the threshold of acceptability, and I'm apparently one bad step away from exposing more of my chest than I'd ever be comfortable exposing. Even knowing Kyouko is blind doesn't reassure me; rather, it makes me feel worse.

"Truth be told," I murmur to myself, starting to strip for my own shower, searching about for cramp medicine and pads first. "It actually gets better when I'm cramping." I sigh, contemplating the irony of it all as I take another step out of my door to start my shower.

The rest of the morning progresses about the same way as it had yesterday. We shower next to each other, Kyouko is finished before I am, she waits for me to be done so we can talk. It seems like some of the paleness in her cheeks has warmed up again as we return to our doors.

We're up impressively early, I realize, almost 20 minutes before yesterday's already inhumane hour. Kyouko has already been up for a while like yesterday, but she has yet to get her first power nap in.

"It'll be a few minutes. If you wanna go on ahead you can." She gives a smile, the warmth in her cheeks reassuring. Still, it's quite obvious she's getting restless, which I figure is the reason she was pale before.

"I'm not going to leave my hallmate behind." I blink in surprise at the suggestion. Isn't she still learning the school at this point? Sure Enomoto and Souma seemed like they could help her from yesterday's interactions, but does she even have a way to let them know?

"Well, I don't mind it too much, I can," She bites her lip before smiling suddenly and brightly. "Well, I guess if you're offering, I can hardly turn the offer down."

Something about the way she says this is incredibly flattering, but all I can do is offer a small verbal "Mhm" before departing for my dorm. I guess that leaves me with some free time then, doesn't it?

Rather than find something productive to do, I just spend the 20 minute-long period lying on my back, groaning from pain every now and again as I rerun last night's trip with Dr. Tadamichi through my head. As it turns out, my concerns for Seto were unwarranted as the van was handicap accessible and absolutely huge. I didn't even know vans that size were allowed here in Japan, but I probably was just imagining that there was some kind of restriction on vehicle size.

The Not-A-Real-Doctor ended up taking us halfway to the outskirts of Sendai, to a little roadside ramen shop. The place didn't even look much like a shop given its plain, homey décor, but it actually ended up being really tasty even if I couldn't finish my bowl. Surprisingly, neither Junko nor Anja knew about the place, but I suppose we're not exactly living in a small place.

Somehow, the issue of appearance never came up. I suppose Seto's presence helped in that regard, otherwise I think a strangely dressed middle-aged man taking a bunch of high school-aged girls around to really unknown locales would have drawn some really curious stares…

Still, I can't shake the feeling that even with two guys there it was just a massive girl's night out. I think I'm just imagining things.

Even with those few concerning things, it was still a pretty fun evening. I never really thought to ask why Kyouko was so familiar with Enomoto and Souma, but it's not exactly a pressing issue.

Even though we left with a fair amount of daytime remaining, it was still dark by the time we'd returned. Dr. Tadamichi was talkative and always had something relevant to butt into our conversations, and somehow I was pretty thankful for it. It helped drive the rest of us on, finding ways to joke with each other and learn more without really ever prying. It might have been one of the most intriguing master classes I've seen dealing with social interaction.

I blink suddenly when my eyelids flutter shut, groaning when I jump in surprise. I guess I've been dozing off a bit, but thankfully I haven't entirely lost track of time.

There's still some time before Kyouko will wake up, or needs to be woken up, but I'm suddenly too bored to just lie around. I might as well complete my writing drills from last night, though I don't really have enough time to get through the rest.

It doesn't take long for those small minutes to pass by, a light stirring coming from the other room. I drop my pencil, sighing to myself before standing with a bit of difficulty. Thankfully, the medicine is starting to kick in a bit by now and the throbbing pains are reducing to more general discomfort.

Kyouko is already standing outside her door, yawning with an unmistakably happy grin on her face. Her hair is tussled up a bit, but otherwise she looks perfectly ready to go for the rest of the day, case and bag both strapped against her securely.

"Sleep well?" I ask, a bit amused I can ask a question like that when we'd last talked just over 20 minutes ago.

"Hmm, you could say that! Ready to go?" She inclines her head towards me expectantly, donning one of the most toxically cute and brilliant grins I think I've ever seen. It's a familiar smile, and I recognize why after a moment's pause. Kaede sure has a capable example in her sister.

"Y-yeah," I feel a rush of heat to my cheeks, feeling woefully inadequate in light of such an impressive display. Was her sleep really that good? "You didn't forget anything, right?"

"Hmm… Nope! Don't think so!" She continues the sickeningly sweet behavior after double-checking all of her belongings. The curiosity inside me is threatening to spill out of my mouth, but I hold tight.

We link up to head for class once again. It's warmer outside, but it's still woefully cool for my liking. It's likely too cold for an April morning too, for that matter, but I'm still stuck in the mindset that we're just suffering some of Nature's debt collection for giving us early cherry blossoms.

Kyouko is buzzing ecstatically next to me, and it's getting to the point where I don't know if I can ignore it any longer. She looked like she'd met Death when I saw her earlier in the morning; now it's as if she's just won... Something big…

At least my brain is only failing me in my own head and not aloud during an actual conversation.

"I'm not trying to go too fast, right?" Kyouko's voice shocks me out of my stupor, the concern laced in her words derailing my perception of her face and manner. She isn't facing me, but her demeanor has cooled considerably out of nowhere.

"Too fast?" I blink, looking down to her as we continue our walk. While it's one of the last things on my mind, I'm still a little impressed how we've gotten used to walking together like this.

"I mean," She bites her lip before stifling a chuckle, restoring some of the brilliance to her face. "I feel like I'm dragging you along a bit, and you're fighting cramps, right..? That and you've been quiet…"

Kyouko, could you please not say things about my cramps so loudly in public?

Rather, once I get over that little bit, I recognize there's something fishy about her way of speaking. It's very subtle that she's hesitating, but it's noticeable enough that I can tell. The more I think about it though, the more and more I get confused. Why would she be hesitant to ask about my well-being?

"Sorry, I'm fine," I try to dismiss her concerns with a laugh, but the sound that comes out is choked up enough that I know it isn't effective. "I'm not usually that loud anyway, right?"

She blinks in surprise at that assertion, but it seems I've made a valid point given her nod.

"I guess you're right… I don't know. I'm probably just jumping to some weird conclusions." She giggles nervously, taking a page out of the impossibly adorable book once more as we continue at a lesser pace.

Not much else interesting happens on the way to class, but we at least are able to carry on a bit of appropriate small talk. There are a couple of new classes being taught today, and we share a few concerns about them before we depart. It turns out even Kyouko Tadamichi has a limit to the number of enthralling conversations she can provide.

Frankly, as busy as this morning has been so far I'm rather thankful for it. It would be a bit too much to handle if every day was like my first two at Yamaku, so I'll take some relative boredom when I can get it.

Before I can leave though, I feel a deft tap on my shoulder, turning to face Kyouko once again.

"What is it?" I tilt my head curiously, raising my brow as I try to search her criminally cute expression.

"I just wanted to ask something silly before you left." On second inspection, it seems Kyouko isn't quite on top of her game as I think she is. Her cheeks are alight with red, and she looks somewhat stiff.

"S-sure?" I blither, feeling a sinking sensation in my stomach. Doesn't this situation seem incredibly, terrifyingly familiar?

I'm set at ease when she speaks up again, steeling her nerves after a moment's contemplation.

"Well… What color is your hair, Sora?" Her eyes come dangerously close to meeting mine exactly. Of course, now I'm just inordinately confused rather than ridiculously uptight.

Why is a blind girl asking about the color of my hair?

"Auburn." I answer her despite my misgivings, swallowing loudly enough I'm positive I've been heard.


	13. Chapter 13: Gymnopédies

Chapter 13: Gymnopédies

My answer is met by silence, though it's not quiet given there's a class of students getting ready for their second day all around us. Rather, my response seems to be a visual, curious considering whom it's from. Kyouko's face lights up considerably for some time, disappearing after a moment.

"Why do you ask?" I finally chance speaking again, biting my lip. I run the same question of 'why' by my brain a thousand times and I continue to fall short of providing an answer.

"Hmm, curiosity I guess." She doesn't lose her smile, but some of her energy is redirected to her cheeks.

It's a perfectly reasonable answer, but somehow I found myself doubting it. Now I don't understand why she'd be curious about something so foreign to her senses. Even thinking about how she's been in an accident herself does nothing to dispel the confusion swamping my head.

Thankfully, the confusion is focused more into light cramping pains than a sudden urge to expel my quick breakfast into a toilet bowl. Grain bars don't taste that good coming back up.

"Alright then..." It's all I can really manage to muster. I'm starting to feel unbearably tired at this point, which doesn't bode well considering there's another full day of classes looming.

"Hey, Sora?" She speaks up again about as soon as I've turned back around, forcing me into yet another acknowledgement. It's not that I even mind it, but it's getting tiring very quickly.

"Yeah?" I tilt my head again. Will this be another strange question or something tamere?

"Do you mind if I tag along for lunch?" She tilts herself forward slyly, rocking back and forth waiting for my answer. Did she really have to make such a big deal of it like that?

"Yeah, that's fine." I smile and nod despite my sudden exhaustion. Then I have a clever idea.

Leaning forward, I take her hand and close my eyes. This is payback for yesterday's departing message.

"I shan't keep you waiting, my Lady." I hum, passing close enough she can feel my breath on her skin but not near close enough to touch it directly with my lips. Now for the reaction…

Ah shit, now I'm starting to shake a bit. The smile has drained from my hallmate's face, replaced by a curious, seemingly awestruck stare. There's nothing she's staring at of course, but it's not what I was expecting to find when I looked back up. Was that too heavy-handed?

"R-right… Of course… Prince Charming," Kyouko lets go of my hand after a moment, her voice quivering at first but steadying by the end of her response. "Class is about to start though, so don't be late."

"Right…" I murmur, staring back at her for a moment without a clue of how to proceed. I can't read her reaction very well at all, but I can't imagine it being a good one. I was expecting another instantaneous jab when I said it, but what I got instead… Should I say I was just joking around?

I'm already out the door and in my seat for homeroom by the time I come back to my senses. Nakahara is already at her desk, idly reading what appears to be a sports magazine, and Anja is enjoying a little conversation with Seto. The two of them greet me as I sit.

"Hey, are you okay?" Seto asks with a frown on his face, turning about deftly in his chair to face me.

"Huh? Yeah why?" I blink, surprised I've been wearing my emotions so obviously on my sleeve. Although, based on Anja's surprised reaction, maybe he's just making an unlikely mental leap.

"You just look a little beat," He smiles warmly, putting his arms over my desk and leaning forward a bit. "You didn't wear yourself out getting driven all around Sendai last night, did you?"

"Let's just call it that," I murmur, some more red rushing back to my cheeks as I smother my face against the table. "I don't know how well I can stay awake, so please take good notes for my sake…"

"It's only the second day and you're already thinking about napping through class?" Anja raises her eyebrow, her expression a mixture of confusion and concern.

"I'm really not a naturally good student…" I complain, but it doesn't seem to convince my classmate. She pats my desk unhappily, leaning over me. The glint of her necklace is what catches my attention at first.

"If you can't stay up yourself _we'll_ make sure you stay awake." Anja's frown is tripping all of the guilt sensors in my brain, and even my sudden tiredness can't overcome it.

"I'm not just tired…" I murmur, but nevertheless right myself just as the bell rings to start classes.

I don't know if Anja understands what I'm getting at exactly, but at the very least my return to attention has gotten her off my back. Neither of them has suggested the Nurse, so I'm thankful for that.

This day is going to end up being even more boring than yesterday, and what's worse is that I can't shake my interactions with Kyouko out of my head. From the hair color question to my attempt at payback for yesterday's flirtations… To call it an embarrassing turn of events is an understatement.

I barely even notice the changing of classes between Nakahara and Onitsuka, even if the first seemed to take an eternity. My head crashes against the desk and I do all I can to take notes from there. It seems like Anja and Seto are too busy writing down what he's written on the board to notice, at least.

Ah, I probably should have let them know before class started that Kyouko would be joining us.

There's no use complaining about my lack of foresight when class is progressing this slowly. Not only that, but Onitsuka has already established himself as one of the least attentive teachers I've ever met.

"Anja," I groan, voice muffled by my arm while it rests on the table and supports my head. "Kyouko wanted to join us for lunch today."

I don't get any answer but some light shuffling for some time. Thankfully this happens before I just give up and project my voice traditionally.

"What did I say about sleeping?" It's clear from her voice that Anja is a bit miffed, but I hope the dismissive wave of my hand is enough to satisfy her.

"I'm not sleeping. I'm just letting you know that Kyouko wants to join us during lunch." I sigh, gaining a bit of fun out of this engagement suddenly. Having to rely on something other than my eyes here is unique. Is this what you would call gaining a new perspective?

"Oh," She pauses for a moment, her answer lingering in the air for a second. "Yeah, that's fine. Junko will probably be happy to have somebody else to steal food from at least."

I laugh a bit underneath my arm, nodding to the best of my ability without breaking my surprisingly comfortable position.

"There's safety in numbers isn't there?" It's too bad we're not in biology right now; my comment would even be relevant to the class being taught that way.

"That's for sure." Anja giggles a bit herself before our conversation ends. Missing so much visual information has me painfully curious, but my laziness is trumping all by now.

"And Kyouko _lives_ with this…" I mutter under my breath. Apparently this isn't said quietly enough that I'm not heard, however.

"Something else?" Anja's voice cut in, but I wave it off and shake my head without a verbal response.

There really isn't anything else to be said beyond that for the rest of the period. The bell rings before too long, and I finally lift my head off the desk, smiling at the board for a moment even when all I can see are spots and stars.

I'm actually feeling pretty decently despite not catching any actual rest. The red spot on my forehead is a little embarrassing, but my hair is at least just long enough to cover most of it as I stand.

As expected, Junko links up with us, grinning and giving a thumbs-up when she's told about Kyouko. She leads us out the door, starting a conversation with Anja that immediately concerns neither Seto nor me. I can at least pick out something about there being an adorable upperclassman on the track team, but that's the extent of my involvement.

"You guys go ahead. I'll go talk to Kyouko." I separate from the pack as soon as soon as we've passed her room, the rest of them nodding and waving back.

"Sure. We'll try to be at the same table as last time!" Junko calls back before resuming her conversation with Anja. I nod along, sighing as I turn to the room. To my surprise, Kyouko is just about to the door already.

"Hey there… Kyouko." I call, adding her name when I realize a sudden call into a classroom of legally blind students accompanied by just a wave might be more than a little confusing.

"Ah?" She blinks and stops suddenly in her tracks, which almost gets her bowled over by another student. Instead, all she gets is a light tapping from another's white cane. "Oh um… Sora, right?"

"Yeah," I bite my lip, suddenly feeling a bit bad as I step into the room with a bit of bravado so I can at least give a bit of sound-mapping to those present. "Sorry about that… You ready to go?"

There's a hint of red on her cheeks as she nods, brushing off her skirt for a moment. It seems she won't be taking anything but her cane, so our carefully prepared walking arrangement from the morning will be unnecessary. Considering how our interactions have gone today, I can't say I'm disappointed by a missed chance to practice at all.

"It's fine," She adds as we link up, her presence against my dead arm starting to feel more and more like a natural occurrence with every repetition. "Even Prince Charming can make mistakes."

The wry grin on her face is not going to help me overcome the sudden jolt of embarrassment sent down my spine.

"H-hey now…" I murmur, but her giggle cuts me off. Just like that, it seems like my concerns have been lifted about what I said. Even still, I feel bad that she's gotten so easily back into teasing me.

"You really are too fun, you know? It's not often that I can tell right away how well it works." She grins, gently pressing her elbow into my side as her laugh eventually infects me. We enter the hall, her cane tapping along the ground as we weave through crowds of Yamaku traffic.

"I guess that means you'd rather I didn't stop then?" I smile as we walk, feeling at ease again even if I'm having to deal with a little discomfort. Her question about my hair still burns in my mind a bit, but I'll leave my curiosity for later.

When we arrive, I'm hardly surprised that the group isn't that far ahead of us. Seto seems to have actually broken into the conversation from the looks of it, though it's impossible to tell what they're talking about over the incredible din of the crowd. It's subtle, but I feel Kyouko tugging a bit tighter to my side as we step into that noise.

The menu today is just as varied as it had been yesterday, and only a few of the most popular or most need-oriented dishes are being offered again today. A few items have already sold out too, but it seems like I can always fall back on curry if the need arises.

"Do you have an idea of what you want?" I look to Kyouko. The number of choices must be overwhelming for somebody who's limited to feeling words rather than reading them. Even I'm a bit overwhelmed being able to read them normally.

"Something lighter. Do they have deli sandwiches?"

"Yeah," I murmur after looking around and settling on two separate areas. There's a custom deli bar, with a steep price tag to boot, and then a number of pre-made choices in one of the many refrigerated displays. "What kind would you like?"

"Tuna salad." She says solemnly as we step up to the pre-made selection.

"Alright," There aren't too many tuna salad sandwiches left, but thankfully none of them are wildly different from the others. I decide on a sandwich with pork cutlet, reveling in my ability to snatch the very last one of its kind for the day. "Anything else? The miso soup is supposed to be pretty good."

"This is fine, thank you." She smiles.

This doesn't really stop me from getting some for myself anyway. It's not instant, but despite my statement I've actually heard the soup can be quite hit or miss. I'll take anything that'll warm me up a little inside though.

We pick up our drinks, green tea for the both of us. It's disappointing, but it really seems like black coffee isn't served here. I suppose that might actually be good for my wallet, but it's still unfortunate.

As promised, everybody else is sitting at the table already, two seats saved for us on the opposite end of them. Junko seems to have finally abandoned talking in favor of devouring a plate of curry, but there are still words being exchanged by Anja and Seto as we approach.

"Ah, Sora! Kyouko!" In spite of this observation, Junko is the first to look up and greet us, her face not leaving her plate as it's rapidly depleted of its medium-spicy contents.

"That was…" Kyouko's brow furrows suddenly, but I cover for her as smoothly as I can manage.

"Hey Junko," I smile, taking the seat closest to her before turning to Anja and Seto and doing them the same courtesy with a nod of the head. "Everybody kind of went for the curry today then?"

There's a collective nod followed by a collective "yeah" as we finish seating ourselves, unpacking our sandwiches and opening the caps to our drinks. I down about half of mine in one go, sighing with relief when it leaves my lips. Kyouko settles for a more proper approach.

"First it's eating, now it's drinking huh?" Anja grins, drawing the attention of the table to me in the process.

"It's something today, I guess." I groan, taking another drink in hopes it might conceal my blush, but the way everybody starts to laugh tells me the effort is futile. Despite the mortification, I smile when I get back to displaying my face. Being joked with is miles better than my previous situation.

I'd been so apprehensive about Yamaku, but it feels like I'm already getting into the flow of things here.

The rest of lunch passes with more idle small talk between all of us. Kyouko is eating slowly and carefully, while Junko whines about the lack of variety in the food she can steal. It's a peaceful atmosphere, to the point where I almost fail to notice something is a bit off with me.

"Ah, hey I'm going to head to the bathroom." I stand suddenly, groaning a bit as I feel the cramp medicine start to falter. I at least brought my pills, but they're in the bag I left in the classroom.

"Do you need company?" Kyouko angles her head towards me, ignoring the last few bites of her sandwich for the moment.

"I think I'll be fine, it'll just be a minute." I shrug, gathering up my trash and waving to the group as I exit the cafeteria. There should still be plenty of time before class in case I have to make an emergency run to my bag, but overall I'm just expecting a routine trip.

A routine trip is what I get for the first half. There's still no blood to worry about, and a look at the mirror confirms I haven't sprouted any unwanted features on my face nor have I lost the ideal state of unkemptness I keep my hair in at all times.

I wash my face up a bit anyway, wiping away some of the sweat that's been accumulating since my shower in the morning. It's a bit sad that I'll have to deal with this for at least another day or two, but as far as periods go, this one hasn't been the worst yet by far.

I stop just outside the cafeteria a few minutes later, taking a look inside with a relieved smile. I hope I don't look _too_ relieved, but I can live with the ribbing I might get if I do. Everybody is still at the table, either finishing up or already standing up to leave.

"... Need to talk, dude." A voice suddenly cuts into my head from the right side. There's a flash of red and gold and the glint of glasses before I'm suddenly yanked from my anchored position.

It seems I'm being pulled along by the sleeve by a strange-looking boy.

Wait, I'm being abducted?!

"Hey, what are you–" I begin to speak but the situation dawns on me. I'm thrust back to that day just a few years ago and my mouth freezes while still wide open. The boy, older than me but barely any taller, starts to meander aimlessly about the hall, his guidance haphazard and without an ounce of concern for my own well-being as far as I can tell. It's good the hall isn't too crowded or else…

I don't have a chance to finish my thought as bile starts to rise in my throat. All of the good feelings from lunch are starting to fly desperately from my system, letting themselves be replaced by toxic feelings of dread and foreboding. I'm losing control of myself and I don't think I can hold on much longer.

We've slowed down considerably, but it's too late.

"Dude, are you alright?" I hear his voice call out, a slightly concerned, mostly irritated tone to his enunciation.

This is all I hear before the rush gets to my head, which promptly meets the nearest wall.


	14. Chapter 14: March to the Scaffold

Chapter 14: March to the Scaffold

There's a clanging in my head, and then a flash of blinding white light as my eyes dart open, my body frozen upon a bed.

"Where?" I attempt to mouth, but panic sets in as my voice fails to speak at all, much less in the way I would have wanted it to. I angle my head to the side, but see nothing new. I angle it to the other, but it feels as if I've been stapled to the bed, unable to move even as I want to. Nothing moves at all.

I feel my heart start to race as the image I'm forced to look at, a hospital ceiling, starts to deform before my eyes, the curtains coming off of their rails, the ceiling tiles becoming blobs of indiscernible colors and textures.

All that I can move are my eyes as they fire wide open, and of course my beating heart, driven into a fury of panic. My mouth refuses to open even as I demand to scream, and my eyes refuse to shed tears even as they're so willing to shoot open in abject terror. Everything around me has become indistinguishable, and I find that I can no longer feel anything except the incessant drumming of my own heart.

There's a flash of red as it seems to burst, and the lights start to fade…

"Where!?" I shoot up suddenly, another rush of blinding white light invading my retinas, but this one subsiding far more slowly than the one prior.

I wave my body from side to side. Everything is back in order. I try to raise my right arm. There's no response, no sensation whatsoever. My heart continues to pound heavily as I collapse back against the pillow, the light knock against my head sending a shiver down my spine as the fear of my short nightmare returns in a sudden shock.

It's impossible to tell exactly how much time has passed from when I truly woke up to when I'm able to stir myself again. There are voices around me, but the tones are muddy, the cadence of words asymmetrical and nonsensical. I start to make out the curtains and the ceiling, and the colors start to calm me, reassuring me that what I had was a dream and little more. There's something buzzing about in my peripheral vision, but I don't turn to face it, just staring for an uncertain amount of time.

"You had a really scary moment there, didn't you?" A voice cuts through the air, clear and masculine. It originates from the buzzing blue in the corner of my eye, prompting me to turn my head to meet it.

"Where am I?" My voice comes out hoarse and stilted, and I'm highly surprised to be hearing it like this. It's not exactly something I would have expected to hear, even considering my situation.

"You're in the Nurse's office, Miss–" The man suddenly pulls away suddenly to the sound of a rolling chair, and my gaze trails him slowly to confirm he sits in one. He fetches what looks like a medical file, turning back to me. His eyes are narrow and foxlike, and his smile is contagious. "Miss Akiyama, that's right." He makes a gesture looking as if he'll continue speaking, but instead expects me to respond.

"Why…?" I question into the air before looking back towards the ceiling. I can remember now, as the memories flood back in all of their fragmented, incomplete glory. I'd just gotten back from the bathroom. I could see my friends at the table. Something grabbed me…

"You hit your head pretty hard. Given your condition, we were all very concerned, but you seem to have gotten out of it without any more than some dizziness. Still, there's too great a chance you've had a concussion, so proper care has to be taken." His smile becomes a much more serious-looking frown as he stands up out of his rolling chair, sighing over something.

"I see," I murmur, turning over gently onto my side, a sudden sharp pain in my head sending me reeling for a half a moment. "Ah… You weren't kidding…" I groan, reaching to the spot where my head met the table, just a few millimeters shy of the center in the back of my head. That's not a good place to hit for anybody. It's a bit cool too, and I realize I've left an ice pack behind on the pillow.

"Please try not to move around too wildly. Take this chance to get some rest. Your situation has already been explained to all of your teachers for the rest of the day." The same grim look on his face is plenty enough to convince me to take his advice, settling back down in my previous position.

"Did anybody see what happened?" I ask after a few moments, struggling to piece together exactly what had happened after being grabbed. I can barely even recall anything about the person who grabbed me.

"No, unfortunately," He shakes his head with a sigh and pinches the bridge of his nose. There's something muttered under his breath I don't quite make out before he continues. "Everybody I've been able to ask has said they heard a loud thud and found you leaning against the wall. Unresponsive."

That really does sound pretty bad, doesn't it?

All he needs as response is my solemn, near-imperceptible nod before I close my eyes again to contemplate my situation.

Two days into classes at a school deliberately tailored for students with disabilities, and there's been a major accident like this already? I can't blame the Nurse for being upset, but at the same time I can't help but lament that we're meeting under such unfortunate circumstances. Speaking of which…

"Do you keep any cramp medicine?" I groan out suddenly, not even bothering to open my eyes as the lingering throbbing in my abdomen manages to grow worse than the aching in my head.

There's a light chuckle from him, but it only takes a moment before there are pills in my hand.

"Not a great way to start out the year, huh?" He looks down at me, one eye closed completely while the other inclines just far enough open that I'm able to see its iris for the first time. Funnily enough, it's the same color as his flamboyantly colored hair, though I'm not sure I was expecting anything different.

"No kidding…" I murmur as even a drink of water struggles to get the pills down my throat.

I settle back in for a moment, but I'm shocked from my thoughts by the sharp sound of the carillon, indicating the end of a class period, though which one I'm unsure of.

"Don't worry too much about class, just rest," Nurse calls before I can finish sitting back up. It has the exact effect he desires, but he continues with a clearer voice than before. "All of your teachers have already been told about the circumstances, so just take it easy alright?"

I nod dully even though I'm unsure it's being seen. As much as I want to get out of this bed and have a nice rest of my day, I still can't deny that I'm feeling incredibly exhausted right now.

There aren't many more disturbances from there, though I only seem capable of half-sleeping right now. The office seems popular as a place to go after school for various reasons that I'm struggling to discern in my current state. I imagine most are in need of check-ups and various medications, but I can't shake the feeling some might be stopping by to flirt. I have to admit that Nurse isn't exactly bad to look at.

Eh, but that's about all I can get out of it. I start to giggle as my mind tries to turn a relatively innocuous thought into a dirty one but fails miserably. Then it starts to hurt a little and I go back to relaxing.

"Is she alright?" A familiar voice catches my attention, and it's all I can do to keep myself from turning violently and throwing myself out of the bed. I manage to keep my position well enough to chance a look, but the curtain is in the way much to my consternation.

"She'll be fine. She just needs a bit of rest." The nurse answers with a smile, but unfortunately Kyouko hasn't cut across the line needed in order for me to see her. She isn't alone, however.

"She's alright… That's a relief." Anja's voice cuts across next, her tone of voice strongly reflecting her words. I can see now that there are three shadows across the curtain, but I can't tell who the third is.

"Just let her rest and things will be fine. It's good you guys linked up with Setou back then when you did," He nods along solemnly, seeming to think before snapping his fingers suddenly. "Ah, you brought her bags right?"

"They're right here." Anja seems to nod, but it's hard to tell as the Nurse is handed my school bag.

"Thanks for that, I'm sure she'll appreciate having one less trip to make," He turns back to his desk, leaving the three visitors hanging for a few moments. "Ah, is there something else?"

"Ah, no," The third person finally speaks up. It's definitely a male voice, but I don't recognize it at all. I knew it wasn't going to be Seto considering the silhouette wasn't in a wheelchair, but now I'm more than a little confused. "We should get going, Kyouko."

"Ah, you're right," Kyouko's voice is a bit surprised. "You'll be fine on your own, Anja?"

"Yeah, home ec doesn't meet today…" Her voice starts to trail off and I realize the faint silhouettes have moved out of sight. I suppose that's probably for the best that they're leaving; I'm still dead tired.

Still, the mystery boy is going to bother me out of getting some valuable rest.

"I guess classes are over…" I murmur under the covers, closing my eyes again and trying to drift off to sleep.

Surprisingly, sleep comes easily even after my concerns have been taken into consideration. I suppose the mystery boy wasn't as interesting to my subconscious as he was to my conscious, and I have to wrack my head just to remember he was even around once I've woken again.

It's clearly getting a bit later outside. The sun has painted the landscape with a more muted palette than is typical of spring, though there are still hours of daylight left. The ice pack was removed a while ago due to the disappearance of swelling, so my pillow has grown warm where my head is resting.

"Feeling better?" Nurse rolls over to me with that trademark wink of his.

"I think so," I murmur, sitting up as slowly as I can manage. I suppose there hasn't been any bleeding or the like to worry about if he let me sleep, but the rush of blood to my head is still painful and disconcerting. "Ow…"

"Just try to take it easy, alright?" He reaches forward to help steady me on my way up, a gesture I end up appreciating quite a bit.

"Yeah…" I sigh, drooping forward and sinking my head against my chest. Sitting up took a lot more out of me than I thought it would, but it's too late to turn back now.

I don't actually know what to do with myself after all this. It seems like it's too late to go to the Music Club today, which is a bit disappointing. Kyouko is apparently letting Mrs. Sakamoto know, however.

The Nurse seems pleased with my quick check-up and sees fit to dismiss me. I stand with some degree of difficulty. I finally see a clock and notice that I've been on bedrest for nearly five hours now, so some wobbliness in the legs is hardly unexpected.

"Thanks." I wave, taking a look around the clinic for my bags. They've been deposited in a corner near the door, with a clear sight-line to the Nurse's desk. The unease in my step is already starting to disappear as I gather them up. Before I leave, I take a quick look at myself with the little window in the door. Nothing seems out of order, and my hair is about as messy as I like it, if not a little messier.

There's still some internal debate over where I should go now that I've been released, but I suppose the best bet would be to head for the Music Club room after all. It's not too complicated a journey, but I can't shake the feeling that I'm only ever a step away from getting lost.

It's nice that I don't have to change buildings because it's becoming increasingly apparent that my right leg is lagging considerably through my stride. Long periods of time in bed can do this, but I doubt hitting my head violently enough to be there in the first place is also contributing.

The light is still on inside the room and Mrs. Sakamoto is still running rehearsal inside to my surprise. I think of opening the door, but apprehension over drawing attention to myself takes over. A moment after that, thinking about what she might say to me further cements my position outside the door.

I peer through the window of the door as well as I can manage without being easily visible. The entire orchestra is assembled inside, but for most of my time watching only string instruments play.

I can partly make out what Mrs. Sakamoto is saying, but the door muffles her voice too greatly for it to be very clear. That they're working on something fairly advanced is obvious enough. Everybody is listening intently, though it's clear that the non-string players are getting antsy.

This pattern of starting and stopping is only broken by the addition of the rest of the orchestra later on. Once everybody is playing, the group goes through a large but incomplete section of music before Sakamoto finally cuts them off for the last time, having some final words before dismissing them.

Now everybody is going to be headed my way.

Ah, I should've thought about what I was going to do here before the moment arrived. I have little choice but to retreat from the door, but from there should I keep running?

I decide to bury myself as much as I can within the wall without looking completely unnatural. I don't really know how to accomplish this, but I at least stop before I've completely negated the curvature of my back. The door opens next to me after a couple of seconds.

"What a day…" The first, unfamiliar voice says as its owner is accompanied by a number of other bodies.

"You're telling me…" His companion starts, their conversation instantly becoming indiscernible as the clamor of the expanding crowd grows.

Suddenly there's a click in my brain and I relax from my awkward position against the wall. I don't know why I forgot, but the Nurse did tell me that all of my teachers already knew didn't he?

I sigh, turning slowly to face the crowd, looking for signs of my hallmate and the unknown male who was with her during her visit immediately after classes. I have no idea how quickly Kyouko packs up after a rehearsal, but thankfully the group is small enough that I can see inside without much issue.

"Soracchi~!" I grimace as that ridiculous nickname from yesterday crops up again.

"Senpai…" I murmur, looking towards Souma with a light frown.

"Ah, I guess you're still in a bad mood, huh?" She suddenly reels back, surprised by my reaction.

"I don't like that name is all." I sigh, rubbing my face and groaning. When I open my eyes again, Kyouko is already starting to work herself out of the room, but is stopped by another member.

"Aww, I thought it suited you though," Souma pouts, her clearly practiced air of cuteness failing to get through to me. Maybe if our roles were reversed, Senpai. "Are you feeling better at least?"

"Yeah." I murmur and nod along, closing my eyes to yawn.

So word of my situation really has spread around. I suppose it would be difficult for it to be kept a secret around a place like Yamaku, but the thought that I might be the gossip of the school makes me queasy.

I haven't forgotten the last time I was the gossip of a school.

"Miss Akiyama," Mrs. Sakamoto's voice cuts across, forcing me to face her with my brows lifted. Her tone is a bit more neutral than I was expecting, but she's smiling. "Could I have a word with you?

"Oh, um… Of course…" I stammer, my heart starting to race as the thoughts of a scolding start to dominate my being.

"Relax, dear," She smiles, stepping between Souma and me and putting a hand on my shoulder to guide me into the room. "I just wanted to get your private lessons with me scheduled as soon as possible."

"Private lessons?" I blink as we walk inside, forgetting what it was I came here to do in the first place. Something about the phrase is bothering me, but the way Sakamoto said it…

"Right! Since you'll be learning piano, I wanted to make sure you have regular lessons." She continues, guiding me towards the piano. Not too far away, Kyouko is still talking with that friend, a second-year boy. Is that the mystery kid from earlier?

"I think you'll enjoy the club better too if you have more attention and time to prepare."

"Ah? Oh," I nod along having forgotten Sakamoto was addressing me already. This isn't a good impression, Sora. Focus. "Alright, that's fine. Um, what will that be like?"

"We'll meet here in the club room and work for 30 minutes on your playing. When do you think you can start?" She smiles, settling down at the piano herself with an expectant look on her face.

It's kind of tough to say for certain since I have no clue exactly what it is she's suggesting we do right now. Even though she's explained it, I still can't get a weird association out of my head when I think of the phrase "private lesson."

"Can I think about it?" I ask, sitting down with an exasperated sigh. There are too many things I'm trying to manage at once, but it seems like Kyouko and Souma have both started off on their own. I'm not sure whether I should be thankful about that or not.

"Oh, of course," She smiles, clapping her hands together after deciding not to start playing the keys. "I don't want to rush you into anything just yet. At least not after how I recruited you yesterday."

"Thank you," I nod, smiling a bit in relief before looking down at the piano with its ebony and ivory keys. It seems that they've actually been painted, as a few have lost their luster from being used extensively. "Actually, would it be something we could start now?" I blink again, surprised at the words coming from my own mouth.

Sakamoto pauses and lingers on my question for a moment. To my relief, she starts to shake her head.

"I considered it, but I really can't linger here long enough to get started," She hums with a bit of disappointment, before snapping her fingers. "Ah! But I suppose I can find out a bit more in regards to your musical background. Come here." She smiles, welcoming me to the bench with a wave.

I nod dully, starting to feel as if I can't manage any other visual reaction. Thankfully, I snap out of it before I've completed the process of sitting down.

"Ah… Trust me when I say I don't know even the first thing about music…" I murmur, feeling red in the cheeks as I brush off my skirt idly.

"Hmm, are you sure you'd rather not give it a try? I'm sure you remember something from elementary school." Sakamoto frowns, turning to face me but not seeming too perturbed by my dismissal.

"I really don't… I remember that there were notes and they had names and the like but… That's it." I sigh, feeling a bit defeated. What was the point of learning that infernal plastic instrument called the recorder as a child if I was never going to use that knowledge again, right?

Now I'm desperately wishing I hadn't had that kind of an attitude about it.


	15. Chapter 15: Nocturne Op 27

Chapter 15: Nocturne Op. 27

All things told, my unexpected lesson with Sakamoto could have gone a lot worse, but I'm not altogether thrilled by the work she's suddenly piled onto me.

"F-A-C-E…" I repeat as I stare at the piece of paper she'd handed to me before I left, filled with all sorts of cryptic bits of so-called music theory. I'm having trouble figuring out everything it's come past me in such a rush.

Even losing as many hours to an unexpected head knock as I did, today has been unusually hectic. Nurse did tell me to take it easy the rest of the day, so I start immediately on the path towards my dorm.

There are still a few hours of daylight left, and the morning cold has thankfully managed to give way to pleasant, ambient warmth. The breeze still carries the barest hints of winter's chill, but it's nothing the Yamaku uniform jacket can't handle.

I give up trying to decipher the page in my hand, working to stuff it away somewhere that won't see it blown away by the wind. The medicine Nurse gave me is working to the point that I'm not sure I can keep myself from falling should I trip up even a little bit, so now is a good time to focus on just walking.

My mind flashes back towards my enigmatic hallmate and perhaps more noticeably the mysterious companion that had joined her in the Nurse's office along with Anja. I'm dwelling on something inconsequential certainly, but I can't for the life of me come up with something better to think about.

I'm actually not quite as alone in my walk as I feel, a great number of Yamaku students leaving their clubs and finding places to go for the rest of the night. It's strange that it's only now when I don't really have a companion for the first time since arriving here that I'm feeling so surrounded by crowds.

Isn't that strange too, in and of itself? I've been at Yamaku for two and a half entire days now, yet I can count the number of times I've really gone anywhere on my own on one hand. In fact, I'm pretty sure right now and the trip to the bathroom I took during lunch are the only two I can think of.

The more I think about it, the more my mind wanders towards Kyouko. Our meeting itself was strange, her uncle seemingly at random picking me off the path and introducing us. From there, things only grew more unnatural and uncomfortable.

What kind of person meets somebody for the first time and immediately asks what's wrong with them?

For that matter, what the hell is wrong with the way I reacted? I had every right to back away from that conversation and close my shell back up, but some mystic hand seemed to guide my mind elsewhere.

"Ah… I'm getting too philosophical…" I murmur, sighing and taking a break as the distracting thoughts threaten to knock me off balance yet again. The crowds have slowed a bit as the girls' dorms start to loom, but I still have to be certain I don't stop someplace inconvenient for others. This big concrete wall seems as good a candidate as any, even if it's kind of eyesore to be seen next to.

It seems to serve some kind of purpose holding the ground in place, but I can't for the life of me wrap my head around why it has to be so damn bare… It's smooth and plain, and could make an excellent canvas for some populistic art.

Reluctant as I am to think on it, I'm really surprised such a big spot has been completely untouched when Yamaku has an art club as reputable as it does.

The lack of gagging gives me at least a little reason to be thankful I'm on my period, but I still don't feel too great when I have to bring up my past like this. I'll never be able to do the same things I did then again, and it's time I moved on.

Sighing, I start to gather myself up, but a flash of red and gold cloth catches my eye before I can finish the process. I nearly jump out of my skin as the figure doesn't move a great deal, instead jumping to mirror me. There's something vaguely familiar about this situation, but I can't place it at all.

"Whoa! Dude, you alright?" The boy behind me looks like he's trying to combine a fighting stance with a fetal position, and the end result is unbearably hilarious to behold.

"Y-yeah, you just kind of snuck up on me…" I murmur as I look over him. It's hard to tell what year he is given his necktie is obscured by that ridiculous scarf of his, but I doubt he's the same year as I am even if we're of about the same height. His coke-bottle glasses seem thicker than could possibly be useful, and his gaze only barely meets mine during this initial appraisal.

"Sorry dude didn't mean to," He nods, starting to relax from that dubious stance of his before extending a hand and assuming a confusing but frank smile. "It's important to be careful in our line of work though, y'know? Wouldn't want to get caught off guard and have your head lopped off, right?"

I just stare at him for a few moments as his offered handshake hangs in the air. This second mystery boy is starting to get visibly annoyed that I'm not reciprocating the handshake, but at the same time he's also extended his _right_ hand to me.

"R-right," I stammer, breaking the silence and sighing as I let myself collapse a bit, the wall able to catch me before I take a nasty tumble. "Um, sorry I'm not so great with handshakes…"

"Man, you're not serious right? Even though it's the manliest common greeting there is?" He frowns and looks upset, further sending my brain into a death spiral of confusion.

"Why would I be concerned about being manly?" I raise a brow after I finally find something of his inane speech to latch onto. His hand is still extended awkwardly, and it's getting to the point where _I'm_ starting to feel bad about it.

"Dude, you don't have to keep it up around me," He continues, stepping past the boundary of personal space and closing in dangerously. A gross familiarity is seeping into my being, but my stomach seems resolved for now. "You've got an ally here any time. Just be sure not to trust anybody, okay?"

There's no use trying to reason or argue here. I just need this strange boy out of face so I don't end up doing something regrettable.

"O-okay… Um, could you give me some space please?" I pant, closing my eyes and trying to collect myself as pain creeps all around my body for a few moments. Stay strong…

"Alright man," He frowns again but obliges for me, a wave of relief rushing through me to replace the wracking pains. "I understand not trusting me either, but there's no reason to be this standoffish either. We're comrades right?"

"Sure… Um…" I tilt my head towards him, even if I'm sure he can't see it too well if at all.

"Kenji." He says, the frown replaced with a smile before he turns away from me to go on his way. "Stay strong the course and all that. I've gotta grab my pizza."

He walks away and I end up staring at him the entire time he's within eyesight. I have absolutely no idea what just happened, but it puts the weirdness I'd been thinking of relating to my roommate into a very different light. At least she isn't anywhere _close_ to that eccentric and clueless.

"Strange kid." I finally settle on rather than overthink the exchange too much. Whatever just happened, this Kenji figure seems to think he knows me, but I can't for the life of me fathom how that could be. I didn't attend a Crazy convention anytime in the last few months did I?

The journey back to my dorm is a lot more peaceful from there, even though the distance is admittedly short. For Kenji's credit, he's at least managed to take my mind off of a far less comedic set of circumstances.

Kyouko doesn't seem to be back as I file into our hall, my knocks at her door going unanswered. That doesn't seem too surprising considering she was probably making plans with that boy in the Music Club. I shouldn't really be surprised she'd go and do something like that, but maybe it's the lingering reality that we've been uncannily attached to each other since school started that I'm feeling bothered by it.

At the very least I won't have to worry too much about social obligation and can get some work done on these make-up assignments. I might even be able to learn some more about some of these musical terms that Sakamoto sent me off with earlier.

I haven't eaten since lunch, but long periods without food are hardly that uncommon for me. I shouldn't be letting myself fast unwittingly considering I went more than 24 hours without food earlier in the week, but the selection of grain bars Dad left me is adequate for both quick breakfast and quick snack.

If I get desperate there are always instant noodles to be had to, though I'd really like to have a cold drink if I'm going to give something that unnecessarily salty a try.

On a positive note, the cramp medicine Nurse gave me has reached its peak effectiveness as I almost completely forget about my current biological scenario for the next hour. I still feel a little groggy, but I blame it far more on the piles of homework I'm making myself get through right now.

I don't know exactly when it got dark outside, but it's around when I notice this for the first time that there's a rapping at my door.

"Sora, are you in?" Kyouko's voice carries through the door, so muffled I'm surprised I can make it out at all.

"Yeah, the door's unlocked." I smile, turning away from my writing drills. I'm not quite through them yet, but I'm actually thankful she's arrived at such an opportune time. There's still plenty of night left, and I was going to have to come up with a way to entertain myself otherwise.

Taking my voice as cue, the door opens and reveals Kyouko beyond it. A rush of air comes with it, along with a faint hint of… Burning?

That doesn't seem right, but Kyouko looks to be fine and is even smiling rather cheerfully as she works her way into my room.

"Here, you can take this seat," I smile, standing immediately and hurrying over to help her navigate the premature mess of my room. As I approach, the curious odor grows stronger. "Did you go out someplace?"

"I caught dinner with some Music Club friends." She smiles, settling into my former seat as I take a spot on my bed, nodding along.

"Ah, I figured you did. Who all was there?"

"It was actually just two of us from the club, Tamano and me." She answers, folding up her cane and relaxing into the chair for a second as I lay across my bed in one of the least flattering manners I can imagine.

"Tamano?" I tilt my head curiously, not really familiar with anybody but Enomoto and Souma from the Music Club. Well, that excludes the two of us, I suppose.

"A second year, one of the low brass players. You guys haven't met, but he was with me when we visited you in the Nurse's office." She continues, turning herself about in the chair to better face me, though her approximation of my position is naturally quite off.

"That's who that was?" I blink, not even realizing I've said anything until it's out.

"You were awake for that?" Kyouko's eyes open, looking about as surprised as I think I've seen them since meeting her. She makes no effort to point them away from the imaginary point they're fixated on.

"W-well… Kind of. Nurse wanted me to rest, so I tried to even though you guys were there…" I'm starting to feel a little guilty for my behavior now. Before I start rubbing the back of my head, the nerves vanish when Kyouko starts to giggle, covering her mouth and closing her eyes again.

"Well, that's fine. You seem to be doing a lot better…" Her voice suddenly trails off. The words are like some kind of negate-spell card, and I feel on edge again.

"Erm, are you alright?" I push myself towards the edge of the bed, closer to her.

"A-ah, yeah I'm fine just…" She bites her lip before turning towards my desk and letting the shadow of her head darken my papers. Her torso starts to heave gently a moment later.

"Kyouko," My eyes go wide as she does something completely unexpected. I swallow, somehow mustering the courage to ask even as my heart sinks. "Y-you're crying though. That's not fine, right?"

"N-no, it isn't… I'm sorry I just…" She shakes her head and pulls away from my desk, likely from noticing all of the paper perched on top of it.

"Hold on…" I say softly, my heart leaping in my chest as I start running instinctively. Every passing second after I wrap an arm around her shoulder is like a socially anxious nightmare, but it seems like I've done the right thing here.

I should feel guilty that a part of my courage to speak up came from not wanting anything to stain my homework, but right now that's not really that important.

"I… I'm sorry, I didn't mean for you to," She quivers and bites her lip. She isn't sobbing too heavily, but whatever has gotten into her head is clearly enough to affect her. "I shouldn't have let you go alone then… And the waiting…"

"W-what are you talking about?" I stare at her, trying to comfort and simultaneously ease her answers in a way I can understand.

"I'm sorry, I'm so selfish but," She pushes away my arm for a moment and sniffles, wiping away tears and collecting herself before inclining her head to the ceiling. "I was scared, Sora."

"Why…" I start to mouth, but I know where she's going. I'm starting to feel confused now about this reaction, however.

"You were hurt! I didn't know what was going to happen and I kept it down but… You're okay now… God, I'm sorry, I'm getting so sentimental…" She cups her face in her own hands, taking deep and controlled breaths. I'm inclined to rub reassuring circles into her back.

"I… I don't know if I get it, but," I start, dropping to a knee so that we're a bit closer together and smiling despite my own nerves. "I do at least get you're worried about me…"

And how exactly do I feel about that?

I've only known Kyouko for just over 48 hours. I've spent the past years of my life shutting myself off from others reflexively.

Pity? It was natural given my pitiable existence; an artist who can't make her art anymore.

I can't formulate even a fraction of my lingering concerns and demons into a thought, but I can at least think of one thing. Just why is Kyouko so invested in me right now when we've only known each other for a couple of absurdly hectic days?

Something about this seems utterly and inhumanely wrong, but even as I dwell on it I can't think of how I'm supposed to react. What has she seen… Well, what has she found in me that has her trying to push down the painful barriers of my own existence, at times without regard for my own feelings?

For that matter, what _are_ my feelings right now?

Ah, wait a second, isn't that… Tautology? Is that the word?

"I'm sorry, Sora," Kyouko's voice breaks the silence of my internal monologue, and I look up to see her with head bowed in shadow, holding her knees. "I've been getting so far ahead of myself, and… All I've done so far is hurt you. I'm just an–"

"Don't you finish that sentence," I frown, moving up to put a finger boldly on her lips. I'm not actually entirely sure where she was going, but I'm all too afraid to find out. I open my mouth but the sudden awareness of our curious juxtaposition combined with the surprisingly adorable look of surprise on her face (Oh now my brain is just downright redundant) has me fumbling for words. "K-Kyouko… Um…"

Well, there goes that idea. Thankfully, my hallmate covers the slack, giggling again and pressing my hand away from her face.

"I think I get it… Alright," She sighs, seeming to try and convince herself, like her mental processes are lagging behind her physical instincts. "I still feel like a fool…"

"Kyouko…" I stand up awkwardly, my lack of foresight meaning I can't use my arm to support the effort.

"I'm sorry I kind of broke apart on you, Sora," Kyouko smiles, inclining her head back towards the ceiling now that I've finished standing. "I've been keeping things bottled in all day… I think I'm fine now."

I nod dully, before adding a soft "Mmm" to the gesture and returning to my bed.

I don't know what just happened there, but there's one thing I'm struggling to chase from my mind.

Despite all of my current misgivings, I can't bring myself to fully blame Kyouko for her role here. I can't even really say her role is necessarily a bad one, either. It's been uncertain before, but seeing her now, the doubts about her sincerity I've had are slowly disappearing.

"I'm not sure I get it all, but," I open my mouth, laying on my back and covering my forehead with my forearm. "I think it's kind of nice. Having a hallmate be concerned about you like this, I mean."

I'm not really sure if that's the answer, but maybe saying _something_ aloud will help me decide.

I don't get much of a response from Kyouko, my ears too pressed against pillows for sound to work its way to them effectively. I can't see her either, but I doubt she'd give much visual indication anyway.

"Sora," Kyouko's voice cuts into my attention suddenly, and I only then realize I've been resting for a few moments longer than what constitutes a comfortable pause. "You're sure you're fine?"

I lift my head from my spot, blinking in surprise to find Kyouko hovering over top of me, hands resting gently against the mattress. She's surprisingly close, almost disconcertingly, but the concern on her brow…

"I'm fine," I smile, pulling myself upright and groaning suddenly as the cramping returns in all its painful glory. "W-well… Except the whole period thing…"

I sit groaning for a second, but Kyouko only ends up giggling, assuming that same curiously adorable position from her earlier giggle.

It's too infectious to resist, so I join her a moment later. It actually helps the cramping stop for a moment.

"I'm sorry again." She turns about before resting herself against the bed, a half-sitting half-standing posture that my bed is perfect to utilize for given its height.

"Don't be. If anything, I should apologize for making you worry." I settle myself upright on the bed, hugging my left knee to my chest and looking over at her back.

It's not really entirely my fault for this either, but maybe I should apologize for making her cry, too? I might just be a girl myself, but making another girl cry is reprehensible.

"Well don't. Let's just go back to being friends… On good terms…" Her voice hitches again as she hangs up on a few of her words, but her expression never changes from one of solemn warmth.

"Let's do that then." I nod, closing my eyes and letting myself doze for a moment.

At least, I plan to but the suspension of conversation I was expecting is cut off by Kyouko again.

"I do have a request, actually… Since we haven't had a chance to do it just yet…"

I blink, looking towards Kyouko to see that she's twiddling her fingers a bit anxiously and looking bashful. Wait a moment, the way she's worded that is…

"U-um, Kyouko?" I mouth, feeling my cheeks feel a bit red. Is now really a good time to revert to that wanton flirtiness she's been so willing to display around me?

"Oh, um sorry. I meant," She sighs, taking a deep breath before turning towards me. Her eyes are open and her gaze is so close to approximating my own I can almost swear she's regained her vision in this moment. "Well, I don't really know exactly what you _look_ like. At least not your face."

"What exactly are you getting at here?" I blink, staring "back" at her for a moment as my mind returns to the curious question she had about my hair color earlier.

"I want to learn your face," She pouts, suddenly frustrated by my confusion and clasping her hands together to show her nerves have dissipated. "Since we'll be acquainted for at least this year and all, I'd not like to be absolutely clueless as to your appearance, Sora."

"How?" I can only manage to mouth a single word, my head too bogged down with thoughts to come up with a better response.

Kyouko giggles again, though there's a twinge of annoyance apparent as she puts a hand to her face, then another.

"Like this. Come on, I promise to be _gentle~_." She smirks suddenly, her most nonverbal explanation finally causing some cogs to roll in my head.

Of course, she would preemptively derail this positive motion with some of that incessant flirting of hers.

"Don't say it weird like that," I pout, sighing and dragging myself from my position near the middle of the bed and closer to the edge until my legs finally fall over. "Um, where would be best."

"There is fine," She smiles, placing a hand on my thigh for a moment as she steps off of her spot and stands in front of me. The slight advantage she's afforded in height still isn't enough for her to completely measure up to me, but it's definitely closer this way. "Stay still and close your eyes."

Swallowing I nod and comply, before adding that oft-forgotten verbal cue for her sake.

"Mmm…"

This is bound to be an interesting night after all.


End file.
